Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4389, the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act.

For more than two decades, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act has been an essential tool to protect migratory bird habitat in the Pacific Northwest and across the Western Hemisphere.

Since 2002, the NMBCA has awarded more than $89 million in grants to over 700 conservation projects in the U.S., Canada, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, protecting more than 5 million acres of bird habitat.

The law has also been a critical tool in the fight to reverse the downward global trend in bird population over the past 50 years, which can be attributed to challenges like pesticide use, deforestation, and the lack of adequate environmental protection abroad.

This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the only Federal grant initiative for migratory birds through fiscal year 2028.

It also gives smaller organizations greater access to grants by lowering the cost-sharing requirement for grant recipients from 3 to 1 to 2 to 1, meaning for every $2 organizations contribute, the Federal Government matches with $1. That is great news for the organizations in the North Puget Sound, where I am from, doing important work to protect bird habitat and Washington State's environment.

More than 350 migratory bird species rely on the Pacific Northwest as their flyway, including: the western tanager, the violet-green swallow, Swainson's thrush, rufous hummingbird, western sandpiper, and the osprey; All of which but one I have had an opportunity to take photos of.

These migratory birds pollinate plants, control pests, and add to the diversity of local ecosystems. They also attract millions of birders to places like Skagit Bay, Padilla Bay, Port Susan Bay, Spencer Island, Wiser Lake, Deception Pass, and the San Juan Islands, just to name a few places in my district.

I have had the opportunity to meet with birders and go birding with them, folks from the Audubon Societies of Washington, Pilchuck, Skagit, North Cascades, Whidbey, and San Juan Islands in my district. These dedicated birders provide a boost to local and regional economies. They are ambassadors to the great outdoors. They sponsor great events, like the Snow Goose and Birding Festival in February every year in Stanwood, Washington, where thousands of people come from all over the country to go birding.

Success has many parents. I thank Representative Maria Elvira Salazar for leading the charge to reintroduce this bill, as well as Representatives Mary Peltola and David Joyce for co-leading the bill.

I thank the many partner organizations that made this happen, like the National Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, and the aforementioned local organizations. I thank the taxpayers who are providing the critical funding needed to protect migratory birds.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to keep bipartisan momentum going to protect migratory birds.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 4389, the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act, which would help ensure the long-term protection of neotropical migratory birds.

More than half of our Nation's birds travel thousands of miles to spend winters south of the tropics, but habitat destruction has led to the loss of more than one in four of these birds since 1970. Imagine, a quarter of these birds have been lost.

This bipartisan bill will protect habitats along these migratory routes by reauthorizing the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation program.

This program has already benefited 5 million acres of migratory bird habitat in over 40 countries, and this bill will provide additional Federal support for these efforts.

This funding will facilitate multinational partnerships, conservation projects in habitat conservation, research, monitoring, and community outreach and education.

The bill will also address stakeholders' concerns and program inequities by easing matching requirements and enabling more high- quality projects to compete for grants.

These efforts will provide long-term protection for our beloved bird species and the habitats they rely on.

Our world is facing a biodiversity crisis with impacts that we are only just beginning to understand. I am pleased that we are working together across the aisle in a bipartisan manner today to address at least a part, but a very important part, of that serious challenge.

We all want to be able to continue to listen to the birdsong, to look up and marvel at the fact that these birds have traveled so far and are so essential to our entire habitat. I am very grateful for this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I really do commend the sponsor of the bill. As she noted, this bill is supported on a bipartisan basis by some of our most illustrious colleagues. I remember this bill when it was introduced last session as well, and the work that Representative Salazar and Ranking Member Larsen have done on this bill is commendable.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

As noted, this bill is bipartisan. It brings such joy as well as economic vibrancy to our communities. Listening to the lists of birds that have benefited from this bill, I cannot help but think about those amazing rufous hummingbirds that fly around and pollinate our flowers and bring smiles and joy to all of our lives in our small gardens.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4389) to amend the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4389, as amended, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4389, sponsored by Congresswoman Salazar from Florida. This legislation reauthorizes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, which includes a grant program and research efforts designed to help conserve nearly 400 different species of birds that migrate between North America in the summer months and Latin America and the Caribbean in the winter months.

Protecting the habitat of these species is not only a good conservation policy but also good for economic activity. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study found that roughly 96 million people participated in bird-watching activities, including maintaining habitat to benefit bird species. This includes individuals who participate in these activities in their local communities and those who travel to do so.

Encouraging habitat conservation efforts, such as those reauthorized by this bill, is a win for the environment, recreational activity, and local economies.

I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar) for her leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

Many of us in this Chamber come from communities where being outdoors is part of our way of life and communities with vibrant ecosystems, particularly in places that serve as a home for migratory species.

We know that habitat conservation is critical to their long-term health. H.R. 4389 will help further conservation efforts by providing resources to those who are dedicated to advancing habitat restoration efforts and encouraging collaborative research efforts.

I thank Ms. Salazar once again for her leadership in reauthorizing this program, and I ask my colleagues to support this effort. I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of H.R. 4389, the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023.

Bird populations have declined by over 3 million since 1970, and the iconic birds that we know and love must be actively protected.

Birds like the Baltimore oriole, wood stork, great blue heron, and snowy egret are not just beautiful to look at, they are vital to our environment and our economy.

Many of the migratory birds we see at home spend their winter months in Latin America and the Caribbean, but they are threatened by habitat loss along their journey back and forth. Federal efforts like H.R. 4389 are key to conserving these species.

My bill reauthorizes and improves the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Grant program. These government programs provide competitive grants for them to find refuge along the way, and, thankfully, they are matched 2 to 1 by private-sector investments who also care about the environment. The good news is that they pay major dividends.

Over the last two decades, almost $90 million invested by the United States in bird conservation produced almost $350 million from other countries who were partners in the Western Hemisphere.

Since 2002, these programs have supported 700 projects across dozens of Latin American countries, benefiting more than 5 million acres of habitat.

Protecting these beautiful birds is also highly important for my constituents in the city of Miami. The Florida

Everglades serves as a critical natural habitat for birds migrating and is one of the top bird-watching spots in the country, including for ibis, egrets, and herons.

In 2022, more than 96 million people across this country participated in bird-watching, generating more than $100 billion in economic benefits for the country. If we protect these migratory birds, we are protecting the Everglades and we are protecting the ecosystem. If we are the ecosystem, we are bolstering our economy. It is a clear bipartisan win for everybody.

I thank Chairman Bruce Westerman, Congressman Rick Larsen, Congressman David Joyce, and Congresswoman Mary Peltola for co-leading this bill with me.

As a champion of animal welfare and strong protector of the Everglades, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4389.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4389 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.