Bill would impose trade sanctions for ivory trafficking

Countries that "facilitate" ivory trafficking would face trade sanctions under a new bill from the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced the legislation today, amid the Obama administration's crackdown on wildlife trafficking and its implementation of a near-complete ban on commercial ivory. Some lawmakers have questioned whether the ban -- which has yet to be finalized in a rule -- is too broad and unfairly punishes law-abiding citizens (Greenwire, Aug. 7).

DeFazio's bill addresses problems abroad, setting out punishment for countries that contribute to what is a global illicit trade. The "Targeted Use of Sanctions for Killing Elephants in their Range (TUSKER) Act" is named after Satao, a popular Kenyan elephant whose face was hacked off by poachers who wanted his big tusks (Greenwire, June 19).

"The illegal wildlife trade funds the operations of gun, drug and human trafficking crime syndicates. It also funds extremely dangerous terrorist groups that threaten regional stability in Africa and national security in the United States," DeFazio said in a statement. "We need to choke off the access to the market. My legislation sends a strong message -- if countries permit this illegal trafficking, there will be economic consequences."

The bill is supported by several wildlife groups, including the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the World Wildlife Federation. DeFazio's office did not immediately respond to a request for the bill's text.

Ginette Hemley, WWF's senior vice president of wildlife conservation, said the goal of the bill is to "ensure the integrity of countries' commitments" to prevent the illegal ivory trade.

"With the ongoing poaching crisis devastating many of the world's remaining elephant populations, it is critical we ensure that international agreements on wildlife trade such as [the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species] are effective, enforceable, and include penalties for those countries that consistently fail to uphold their commitments," she said.