DSC is pleased with President Trump’s signing of House Joint Resolution 69 (H.J. Res. 69), which overturns the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) final rule pertaining to the management of wildlife in Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges. H.J. Res. 69 reinstates Alaska’s authority to set predator control regulations and other established means and methods of hunting in the state’s 77 million acres of refuges.
“President Trump and the new administration have certainly held up to their pledge to protect hunters’ rights,” said DSC Executive Director Ben Carter. “H.J. Res. 69 comes on the heels of Interior Secretary Zinke’s overturn of the lead ammunition and tackle ban. Our members are happy to see the return to sensible leadership and decision making.”
On Aug. 5. 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a ruling that prohibited forms of hunting on all National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. The ruling went against decades of legal precedent and pre-empted Alaska’s authority to manage its wildlife. Congress had previously directed that the state has the primary authority to manage rules for wildlife. The Service’s ruling also conflicted with provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
Sponsored by U.S. Representative Don Young of Alaska, H.J. Res. 69 was passed by the House by a vote of 225-193 on Feb. 16 and passed the Senate by a vote of 52-47 on March 21. President Trump signed the resolution into law on April 3.
