For Immediate Release                                                                                    

Feb. 9, 2024

Contact: 

Thomas Plank, 303-720-0111 [email protected]

Senate Legislation Introduced to Reauthorize Popular Conservation Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers supports new legislation that will keep important conservation programs running until the end of the decade.

America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday by Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). This bipartisan legislation would renew the following conservation programs through fiscal year 2030:

• The North American Wetlands Conservation Act, a competitive grant program that has conserved more than 32 million acres of waterfowl habitat. Authorized funding for the program would also be increased from $60 million to $65 million.
• The Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, which is charged with an action plan for state and federal cooperation in managing CWD. One of the single greatest threats to wild deer and other cervids, CWD is always fatal and cannot be detected in live animals.
• The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the United States’ largest grant-maker for the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat.
• The Chesapeake Bay Program, Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act, and the Chesapeake WILD grant program. Each of these assists in the conservation of this ecosystem through habitat restoration and improving water quality. 

The ACE Act also makes amendments to improve the National Fish Habitat Conservation Through Partnerships Initiative. Aimed at protecting healthy waters and restoring and connecting aquatic habitat, this initiative coordinates federal and state agencies with other stakeholders to achieve those goals. $1 million would be authorized for the National Fish Habitat Assessment.

“We applaud Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Capito for their leadership on the ACE Act. Lands, waters, and wildlife across the continent would see an investment from this legislation, providing significant benefits to hunters and anglers,” said Kaden McArthur, BHA’s Government Relations Manager. “At a time rife with partisan divide, the uniting power of conservation for the benefit of all Americans is clear.”