The U.S. House Appropriations Committee today approved the FY2015 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill by a 29-19 vote. This bill contains a general provision to protect legal ivory owners, including owners of ivory-handled and ivory-decorated knives. In response to the misguided steps taken by the Obama Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ban the domestic sale and trade of legally owned ivory, bill includes language to prohibit any funds to be used by USFWS to restrict the domestic sale and trade, as well as further restrict the import and export, of legally-acquired ivory, including ivory handled and ivory decorated knives. This language in no way prohibits the administration from attempting to achieve its goals of ending poaching and the illicit trade; the only thing this language does is protect legal ivory owners and their possessions. This action is another significant step towards protecting all lawful ivory owners and returning the focus on protecting elephants where it will be most effective, in Africa. As this bill progresses, we will continue to provide updates as developments occur.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 18:17:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015