Bipartisan Legislation will Address Growing Challenges to Species and Habitat Health

Project Update

More than 50 conservation groups are banding together and calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass bipartisan legislation that invests in wetlands, fisheries, chronic wasting disease research, and the Chesapeake Bay.

In early January, the Senate passed the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act or ACE Act (H.R. 925), and now a coalition of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation groups are asking the House to follow suit.

“Passage of the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act will not only have wide-ranging ecological benefits but will facilitate outdoor recreation on behalf of millions of Americans, strengthening conservation funding streams for years to come,” said the groups.

The coalition is asking the House to take up the legislation as passed by the Senate and make no changes.

The ACE Act:

  • Reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act at $60M annually through Fiscal Year 2025. The Act has improved over 30 million acres of wetlands, making it one of the nation’s most effective voluntary conservation programs.
  • Establishes a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-led task force to address the spread of chronic wasting disease.
  • Codifies the National Fish Habitat Partnership. Since 2006, the Partnership has overseen over 840 projects to benefit fish habitat and populations.
  • Reauthorizes the Chesapeake Bay Program at $90M through Fiscal Year 2025.

The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership/Friends of Reservoirs, along with 19 other Fish Habitat Partnerships, would be annually funded through ACE. Stable funding is essential to continue to add to the existing 840 projects that have restored aquatic habitat across the country. Investing in restoration of aquatic habitat is essential to maintain the quality of angling and the economic engine that aquatic recreation represents. The 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that 35.8 million anglers spent $49.8 billion to pursue the sport that we love. The recreational angling industry provides for 800,000 jobs.

We are asking you to contact your U.S. Representatives to encourage them to vote YES on passage of H.R. 925. You can find your House member by going to the following link: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative