Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012

Floor Speech

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4089) to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting:

Ms. MCCOLLUM. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4089, the Sportsmen's Heritage Act. This bill is the latest attempt by House Republicans to use America's natural treasures for the benefit of a handful of private corporations who are eager to mine, drill and log.

Protecting and increasing hunters' access to public lands has been a bipartisan issue for decades, and is something I support. As a result, America's hunters have incredible access to our Federal lands. Today, 75 percent of all Federal lands are open to hunting and fishing. This includes approximately 67 percent of National Wildlife Refuge land and 70 percent of all the land managed by the National Park Service. The Bureau of Land Management allows hunting on 95 percent of the acres it manages. In Minnesota, we are fortunate to have large areas of public land open to hunting, including the Superior National Forest.
In the United States, hunting access on public lands is not a crisis requiring legislation; it is a success story that deserves to be celebrated. H.R. 4089 abandons and reverses this legacy. This bill changes Federal laws to prioritize development over conservation and put corporate interests ahead of hunters.
H.R. 4089 reduces the decision-making power of Park Rangers and other local land managers by centralizing authority in Washington, thousands of miles away. These highly trained professionals must be allowed to do their jobs, keeping land open to the public while protecting areas from disasters such as forest fires.

H.R. 4089 would encourage the destruction of millions of acres of wildlife habitat. Every hunter knows that less habitat leads to less wildlife, which means less hunting. It is obvious that the beneficiaries of H.R. 4089 would not be America's sportsmen and women but instead, the owners of large oil, gas and mining corporations.

This legislation repeals important provisions in the Wilderness Act that would open millions of acres of public land to development. H.R. 4089 allows the construction of new permanent road networks and authorizes permits for logging, mining and drilling in designated Wilderness areas.

As a strong supporter of conservation on America's public lands and our country's proud hunting heritage, I urge my colleagues to stand up for hunters and oppose H.R. 4089.

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