skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, December 8, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Some South Dakota farmers are unhappy with industrial ag getting conservation funds; Texas judge allows abortion in Cox case; Native tribes express concern over Nevada's clean energy projects.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Colorado Supreme Court weighs barring Trump from office, Georgia Republicans may be defying a federal judge with a Congressional map splitting a Black majority district and fake electors in Wisconsin finally agree Biden won there in 2020.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Texas welcomes more visitors near Big Bend but locals worry the water won't last, those dependent on Colorado's Dolores River fear the same but have found common ground solutions, and a new film highlights historical healthcare challenges in rural Appalachia.

Aid for State Species Recovery Plans Gets House Hearing

play audio
Play

Wednesday, December 4, 2019   

BOISE, Idaho – A key congressional committee is set to take a closer look at a bipartisan bill that aims to keep wildlife off the endangered species list.

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act, scheduled for markup Thursday in the House Natural Resources Committee, would allocate $1.3 billion annually to state wildlife agencies, including more than $17 million for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

"The Recovering America's Wildlife Act is the most significant piece of wildlife legislation since the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973," said Brian Brooks, executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation. "It's been a long time since we have made any landmark federal legislation that really helps wildlife."

Brooks said the bill would help recover about 200 species the state has identified as in need of protection, including such iconic species as salmon and steelhead, bighorn sheep and sage grouse.

State wildlife agencies across the country have identified about 12,000 species that could benefit from this approach.

Collin O'Mara, president and chief executive of the National Wildlife Federation, said the threats to species worldwide have gained some recent attention, including a study showing bird populations have declined nearly 30% since 1970.

As urgency grows, O'Mara said, more preventive measures must be put into place to keep species "out of the emergency room."

"By making those investments upstream, we can avoid tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer expenses in the future," he added. "We also know that we can avoid significant impacts on various industries that are often affected when species are endangered on their property."

The legislation also would dedicate more than $97 million to tribal wildlife conservation efforts.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, is among 157 co-sponsors of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, and Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, sits on the House committee expected to vote on the bill this week.

Text of the bill is online at congress.gov. The bird study is at science.sciencemag.org.

Disclosure: National Wildlife Federation contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species & Wildlife, Energy Policy, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, Salmon Recovery, Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
More than 2,000 patients with intellectual or developmental disabilities have received dental care in group home day center settings across North Carolina, according to Access Dental. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Most people probably never give a second thought to their visits to the dentist, but not everyone can navigate this process with ease. People with …


Social Issues

play sound

Christmas is a little more than two weeks away, and toy drives around the country are in full swing. A North Dakota organizer shares some things to …

Social Issues

play sound

A federal judge in Nevada has dealt three tribal nations a legal setback in their efforts to stop what could be the construction of the country's larg…


A study on earth.org reveals a 6 1/2-foot artificial Christmas tree would have to be used for at least 12 years for it to be more ecofriendly than a real Christmas tree. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Hoosiers could get their holiday trees from any of about 200 tree farms in the state, according to the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association…

Social Issues

play sound

Reports from the Insurance Commissioner's office and the state Attorney General reveal an analysis of what they call "the true costs of health care" i…

Environment

play sound

Connecticut lawmakers are reluctant to approve new emission standards that would require 90% cleaner emissions from internal-combustion engines and re…

Social Issues

play sound

Another controversial move in Florida's education system is a proposal to drop sociology, the study of social life and the causes and consequences of …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021