Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Administration (USFWS) announced a final rule to ban the use of lead ammunition and tackle in eight national wildlife refuges. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"Clearly the Biden administration is hoping no one fact checks their claims, because while they're saying this rule expands access to public lands, it quite literally does the exact opposite. Lead ammo and tackle is a fraction of the cost of other materials and has no proven harms to the environment, so banning sportsmen and women from using it is cutting off access for lower-income outdoor enthusiasts who can't afford the more expensive equipment. I represent a rural district in Arkansas and I've spent my whole life hunting and fishing on both public and private lands and waters, and I know many of my constituents would be adversely impacted if a rule like this were to go into effect in our state. It's just another example of how President Biden is listening to D.C. bureaucrats and out of touch environmental extremists instead of hearing the rural voices his devastating decisions impact the most."

Background

Today, USFWS finalized a rule to ban the use of lead ammunition and tackle by 2026 in seven specified national wildlife refuge (NWR) areas: Blackwater NWR in Maryland, Chincoteague NWR in Virginia and Maryland, Eastern Neck NWR Maryland, Erie NWR in Pennsylvania, Great Thicket NWR in Maine, Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, Rachel Carson NWR in Maine and Wallops Island NWR in Virginia. Lead ammunition, but not tackle, would be banned in the Chincoteague NWR in Virginia and Maryland.

Outdoorsmen and women are excellent stewards of the environment and participate in activities that seek to benefit the health of wild game species. Additionally, revenues generated from hunting and fishing activities result in billions of dollars in conservation funding each year. The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Act require that the sale of hunting and fishing equipment have an excise tax attached to it that is paid by manufacturers and, ultimately, consumers. In Fiscal Year 2023, USFWS received a combined $1.6 billion for wildlife conservation through these excise taxes. Increasing costs on these consumers who, like all Americans, are feeling the negative effects of record-high inflation in the Biden economy, could result in a substantial decrease in hunting and fishing participation and conservation funding.

H.R. 615, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023, was favorably reported out of committee with bipartisan support on June 21, 2023 and would require that any proposed lead ban at a NWR be compatible with state law and based on scientific evidence related to the specific NWR.

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