Crane Conservation Act of 2009

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 388) to assist in the conservation of cranes by supporting and providing, through projects of persons and organizations with expertise in crane conservation, financial resources for the conservation programs of countries the activities of which directly or indirectly affect cranes and the ecosystems of cranes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 388, the Crane Conservation Act, was reintroduced in the 111th Congress by our colleague from Wisconsin, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. The bill is identical to noncontroversial legislation that passed the House during the 110th Congress.

The overall purpose of the bill is to assist in the conservation of the world's 15 crane species, including the two crane species found in North America, the whooping crane and the sandhill crane. The bill would establish a new crane conservation fund to finance Federal matching grants that support critical conservation projects that conserve these highly endangered birds and their scarce and shrinking habitats in Europe, Asia, South Asia, Africa, and North America. The legislation also mirrors other highly popular and effective wildlife conservation funds authorized under the Multinational Species Conservation Fund that support other critically endangered wildlife species and their habitats.

Mr. Speaker, cranes play an important iconic role in cultures around the world. These birds are viewed as universal symbols of peace, happiness, and good fortune. I ask Members on both sides to support passage of this noncontroversial bill that will help to conserve this family of large, charismatic birds.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I will submit for the Record the following exchange of letters between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Foreign Affairs concerning H.R. 388 and H.R. 411.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, April 21, 2009.

Hon. Nick J. Rahall II,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 388,

the Crane Conservation Act of 2009, and H.R. 411, the Great

Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2009.

These bills contain provisions within the Rule X

jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In the

interest of permitting your Committee to proceed

expeditiously to floor consideration of these important

bills, I am willing to waive this Committee's right mark up

these bills. I do so with the understanding that by waiving

consideration of the bills, the Committee on Foreign Affairs

does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the

subject matters contained in the bills which fall within its

Rule X jurisdiction.

Further, I request your support for the appointment of

Foreign Affairs Committee conferees during any House-Senate

conference convened on this legislation. I would ask that you

place this letter into the Congressional Record when the

Committee has these bills under consideration.

I look forward to working with you as we move these

important measures through the legislative process.

Sincerely,

Howard L. Berman,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to respond briefly to some of the mischaracterizations that have been raised about this legislation.

As I stated earlier, the Crane Conservation Act is identical to noncontroversial legislation that passed the House during the 110th Congress. This legislation also mirrors other highly popular and effective wildlife conservation funds authorized under the Multinational Species Conservation Fund that support other critically endangered wildlife species and their habitats. It is no exaggeration to say that the grants awarded through these funds have been pivotal in the recovery of some of the most endangered wildlife populations on the planet. Cranes are no less deserving.

I think that it is also important to note that grants awarded through these funds generate non-Federal matching contributions commonly in excess of three or four times the amount of the Federal grant. As a result, these wildlife programs are some of our most effective conservation programs in leveraging additional funds from partner organizations.

Mr. Speaker, it is expected that future grants awarded from a crane conservation fund will provide the same kind of leveraging benefit as demonstrated by the other funds authorized under the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. The track record for these programs has proven that they are not only good for wildlife conservation, they are also a great value to the Federal taxpayer.

Again, I ask Members on both sides to support passage of this noncontroversial bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again just ask colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 388, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlewoman from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dr. Christensen, for yielding time. And I also thank the chairman of the full committee for reporting out this bill for consideration on the suspension calendar.

I rise today in support of the Crane Conservation Act of 2009, legislation to help protect and preserve the world's 15 species of cranes for generations to come.

Cranes are the most endangered family of birds in the world, with 11 of the world's 15 crane species at risk of extinction. Their special characteristics and unique ability to bring people together across city, State, and international boundaries place them in a class worthy of our conservation efforts.

Cranes are revered throughout the world for their beauty, grace, and long-distance migrations, frequently spanning numerous countries. In fact, their appeal is so vast that they figure prominently in the culture, folklore, and art of many people around the world. They are featured in the silks, sculpture, poetry, and folk tales of many cultures. And because of their long lifespans, they have become symbols of longevity and good fortune.

These magnificent birds also have served as ambassadors of harmony and peace in the international arena. Representatives from nations with various political struggles have reached beyond the instability to address the conservation of cranes. In fact, about 2 years ago, representatives from bordering nations, including India, China, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, and others, met in an attempt to overcome strained relations and send a message of goodwill for the sake of protecting this threatened species. Similarly, African nations which share troubled borders also have joined together in recent years to stop the illegal trade of cranes.

In North America, the whooping crane is the rarest of the crane species. Back in the year 1941, only 21 whooping cranes existed in the entire world. Today, there are almost 400 birds in existence. The resurgence is attributed to the bird's tenacity for survival and to the efforts of conservationists in the United States and Canada. In fact, since 2001, coordinated efforts have focused on encouraging young whooping cranes to migrate from their breeding grounds in Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to their destination in Florida.

In an effort to reintroduce a migratory flock into their historic range in the eastern United States, the recovery team used ultralight aircraft to train and lead these young cranes on their spectacular journey, stretching from city to city and State to State. Fortunately, these efforts have been successful, and the Crane Conservation Act would complement them, both domestically and internationally.

This bill will provide the resources to support initiatives that protect cranes and, importantly, their habitats, which have deteriorated due to industrial development, pollution, and other human disturbances, including wars and other violent conflicts. The bill will also provide the means for the United States to fulfill various international obligations and commitments, thus having a large environmental and cultural impact across the globe.

Additionally, the Crane Conservation Act will provide resources for the United States to bring people and governments around the world together to protect ecosystems, develop adequate habitats, and encourage overall goodwill. Specifically, the Crane Conservation Act will authorize up to $5 million per year to be distributed in the form of conservation project grants to protect cranes in the wetlands and grasslands and other ecosystems on which they depend.

Congress has passed similar bills in support of globally significant and endangered wildlife species, including tigers, rhinos, elephants, and neotropical migratory birds. And just as these efforts took significant steps in international wildlife conservation, the Crane Conservation Act would play a similar and promising role in improving endangered wildlife and their habitats.

This bill, in identical form, passed on the suspension calendar last session. I encourage my colleagues to support the Crane Conservation Act of 2009.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to actually speak on this particular bill, H.R. 388, the Crane Conservation Act. Under this legislation, a new international conservation fund is going to be established to assist up to 15 species of cranes that are in Africa, Asia, Australia, North America--I guess everyone except South America.

There are currently seven crane species that are protected under our Endangered Species Act. The two most imperiled species reside here in the United States and are covered.

The United States already has several laws on the books which can help conserve domestic cranes and their habitats, which includes such things as the Migratory Bird Treaty, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, wetlands conservation statutes, and the Endangered Species Act.

With the current economic crisis the United States finds itself in-- exacerbated by our spending bills in the stimulus, in the budget, and the omnibus bills which simply spend too much, tax too much, and borrow too much--it is highly questionable whether this is the time to once again create another multinational fund to spend taxpayers' money overseas. Other countries should be required to step up to the plate to save their own wildlife without relying on American funds going there.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, who is an expert not only in cranes and whooping cranes, but on whoopings themselves.

Mr. Speaker, I will conclude simply by saying this is a noble concept, but what Dr. Christensen argued is exactly the problem inherent in this noble concept. What we are continuing to do more and more is carve out specific funds for specific animal species that then add up to the total that we are doing rather than realizing our common goals and what we need to deal with. There are seven species that are covered already, two of those in the United States already covered on prior pieces of legislation. This is simply extra funding that is not going to assist necessarily on the American side; it is going to assist overseas in other countries where, quite frankly, in these conditions they should be stepping up to deal with their own wildlife problems, not relying on the United States simply to bail them out once again with another special fund crafted out for American money to go overseas.

This is simply another one of several funds that keep growing all the time without any coordinated policy to it. And that is the danger of this bill. It's not the issue at hand. It's not trying to protect these species. It is the haphazard way we go about creating these funds to try to fund specific entities rather than coming up with a comprehensive overall plan and not requiring our friends in other countries to step up to the plate as well.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 388, the Crane Conservation Act of 2009. I strongly endorse this effort to provide financial resources and foster international cooperation to restore and perpetuate healthy populations of endangered species and to protect threatened habitats.

This bill establishes a fund to support specific conservation activities by ``any wildlife management authority'' of a foreign country that meets certain criteria, as well as groups and individuals with demonstrated, relevant expertise. While supporting such efforts is a key element of any effective conservation strategy, it seems to me that such funding in effect constitutes a new form of foreign assistance that ought to be carefully coordinated with our other foreign aid programs.

In the first place, it is essential that the Secretary of the Interior, who will be administering these programs, consult closely with the Secretary of State to ensure that these activities will not conflict with our overall foreign policy objectives. For instance, if there are problems with corruption or transparency and accountability in a particular government, the State Department would be in a better position to know which entities are reliable partners, and to ensure that funding is not diverted to unauthorized purposes. There may also be some countries to which all other government-to-government aid has been terminated for political or human rights reasons, and in which these conservation activities ought to be conducted exclusively through non-governmental organizations.

Secondly, the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Peace Corps and other foreign policy agencies may be carrying out their own environmental programs in a given--country. The conservation activities supported by this new fund must be coordinated with ongoing and planned efforts of such agencies in order to avoid duplication and overlap and to seize openings for collaboration. Without a mechanism for consultation with the State Department and USAID, opportunities to build synergy among programs will be lost and the risks of waste and inefficiency will escalate.

In light of these concerns, I would strongly urge that in implementing these new provisions, the Secretary of Interior develop a mechanism for full and meaningful consultation with the State Department, USAID and the foreign policy agencies under the Department's guidance.

I appreciate my friend from Utah yielding in such an amazing form.

I do appreciate my friend from Wisconsin's sensitivity over cranes. And she is right; they are a thing of beauty. We have seen whooping cranes in Texas. I am glad they are protected; they are beautiful.

We have heard President Obama say recently that we are going to have to make some tough choices, that we are going to have to scour through our appropriations, our authorizations, our budgets and cut things that are not really essential. And it is my understanding that of the 15 crane species here, 13 are not in the United States.

Currently, it is clear we are borrowing a great deal of our money that we use as we appropriate from this floor from the Chinese. As I understand it, many of these crane species are not located in the United States, but are located in Asia. What an incredible irony, that we could borrow money from the Chinese for which we will owe principal and interest to the Chinese, and then potentially turn around and pay money to help habitats in China. The irony is astounding.

I know all of us have people in our districts who are struggling to maintain their own habitat. As we make tough decisions in this body, this ought to be one that is not that tough: The American people keeping their habitat or cranes in a foreign country keeping their habitat. I think we ought to vote for Americans to keep their habitat. We have got to make some tough choices. It is time to quit borrowing money from China. It's time to quit printing additional money. It's time for some responsibility on this floor. We owe that to future generations not to put them in debt to pay foreign countries to create habitats for cranes.

With that I would urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.