Indian Buffalo Management Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2074, as amended, the Indian Buffalo Management Act, and I also thank my good friend and the sponsor of the legislation, the dean of the House, Congressman Don Young, for his tireless advocacy on behalf of Indian Country.

Madam Speaker, it may come to a lot of people's surprise but in my home State of Arkansas, in my district, we actually had buffalo herds there at one time. And it lingers in many names around the State: The Buffalo National River, the Buffalo Gap. There is actually a history of buffalo in Arkansas and many other States that no longer have herds.

H.R. 2074 would authorize the Department of the Interior to establish a permanent program to develop and promote the capacity of Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to manage buffalo and buffalo habitat.

The American buffalo, or bison, has long held importance to the United States and was officially named the national mammal in 2016. Many American Indian and Alaska Natives have also had a longstanding cultural and spiritual relationship with buffalo, which continues to this day.

By the end of the 19th century, however, buffalo were near extinction. But as a result of conservation efforts, buffalo have slowly returned, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that there are now 200,000 buffalo in the United States.

In 1991, several Tribes with buffalo herds joined together forming the InterTribal Buffalo Council. The council received a Federal charter to aid Tribes in the restoration of buffalo on Tribal lands in 2009.

Today, the InterTribal Buffalo Council is comprised of 68 member Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives with 55 buffalo herds in 19 States with the mission of restoring buffalo to Indian Country.

In 2019, the council received approximately $1.4 million from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Unfortunately, this available funding is subject to the fluctuating appropriations and it is not dedicated to buffalo management on Tribal lands. The council estimates that unmet needs are in excess of $12 million per year.

H.R. 2074 would dedicate $14 million annually for the Department of the Interior to directly support the ability of Indian Tribes to protect, conserve, and enhance buffalo populations on their lands. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements with Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations to dispose of surplus buffalo on Federal land and transfer those buffalo to Indian lands.

The program is intended to help Tribes and Tribal organizations plan, conduct, or implement buffalo restoration programs, plan and execute commercial activities related to buffalo products, and carry out other activities related to buffalo restoration and management.

I again thank Congressman Young for his leadership on American Indian and Alaska Native issues, and I urge support for this measure.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the dean of the House.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, in closing, I encourage passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, for all of the reasons that has been stated on the floor of this glorious House today, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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