House to vote on Obama admin-backed duck stamp, shooting range bills

E&E News
By Corbin Hiar
November 17, 2014

The House will vote this week on a pair of bills involving public lands that are supported by the Obama administration.

The most significant piece of legislation is Louisiana Republican Rep. John Fleming's "Federal Duck Stamp Act of 2014," H.R. 5069. The measure would raise the price of federal duck stamps, which are annual permits required to hunt migratory waterfowl, from $15 to $25.

The price hike is a major conservation priority of the White House and is backed by many sportsmen because the money is used to purchase new wetlands and secure conservation easements on private lands. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the measure would reduce the deficit by $5 million during the 2015-24 period and bolster the administration's Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.

The bill passed out of the Natural Resources Committee a few months ago without a recorded vote, despite partisan disagreement concerning language stipulating that new revenue may be used only for easements (Greenwire, July 30). Fleming said at the time that the requirement would allow the bill to pass the "conservative litmus test" because many Republicans oppose the acquisition of new federal lands when agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service face massive maintenance backlogs.

But Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) argued in the hearing that land purchases are "an important conservation tool," a view shared by the Obama administration.

The House is also planning a vote on the "Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act," H.R. 5040. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho), would require the Interior secretary to convey Bureau of Land Management land to Idaho County for use as a gun range.

The administration expressed its support for S. 2616, a companion bill from Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), in a July 30 statement. "BLM has been working in partnership with Idaho County for several years to address the county's strong interest in the establishment of a shooting range site on a 31-acre parcel of public land near Riggins," said Ed Roberson, the bureau's assistant director for resources and planning.

The bills will be brought up under suspension of the rules, meaning that no amendments will be allowed and a two-thirds majority is needed for passage.