America's Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2024

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, S. 3791 would reauthorize several critical wildlife and habitat bills through 2030.

These include the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and the National Fish Habitat Conservation Through Partnerships program.

The bill would also codify important new programs, such as the black vulture livestock protection program and make technical changes to the National Fish Habitat Partnership and board.

As we know, in the Great Lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and other fish habitats are crucial in providing ecosystem services. They enhance water quality, offer essential habitat for fish and wildlife, mitigate coastal storm impacts, and improve water supply. To conserve and restore these environments, partnerships among Federal, State, and regional entities leverage their diverse resources, expertise, and capabilities to maximize their impacts.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act exemplifies a successful partnership-based program, utilizing non-Federal partnerships to protect and restore wetlands and related habitats. This is one of the most cost-effective conservation programs out there, where more than $3 in non-Federal contributions are made for every Federal dollar invested.

Similarly, the Chesapeake Bay Program brings together stakeholders, academic institutions, and local governments to collaboratively restore and preserve the Chesapeake Bay. The bay provides over $130 billion annually in natural benefits, including improved air, water, and soil quality as well as critical fisheries habitat.

Additionally, the National Fish Habitat Partnership unites 20 regional fish habitat partnerships to restore aquatic ecosystems' health. Since its inception in 2006, the partnership has rehabilitated tens of thousands of acres of freshwater habitat and over 2,000 miles of rivers, generating more than $1 billion in economic value.

Finally, the amendments to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation authorization will help the foundation and Federal agencies better align priorities, report on the status of programs, and help grantees run their programs efficiently.

I am proud to support the bipartisan effort to reauthorize these essential wildlife conservation programs. These efforts are critical steps toward addressing the Nation's growing biodiversity crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

While we are on the topic of conservation, I thank my colleagues for working with Democrats not just on this conservation bill but also on the WILD Act, which I am pleased to hear will be included in the NDAA this month.

Like the bill before us today, the WILD Act is a bipartisan effort to maximize conservation impacts through partnerships; specifically, the Multinational Species Conservation Funds, which help conserve iconic wildlife species, including elephants, rhinos, tigers, great apes, and turtles, and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, which supports habitat restoration efforts across the United States, including the territories.

I am pleased to be the Democratic co-lead of the WILD Act, and I thank my Republican colleague, Representative Joyce of Ohio, for his partnership.

I hope all of us can continue finding ways to work together on conservation and other issues, just like we are doing today with the ACE Reauthorization Act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source