Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Bill Introduced

Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) this week introduced bipartisan legislation to support both the research and management of chronic wasting disease (CWD). The bill would authorize $70 million per year, split evenly between these dual purposes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would administer the funds through cooperative agreements with state and tribal wildlife agencies and agriculture departments.

The legislation also includes an authorization for USDA and state and tribal agencies to develop educational materials to inform the public on CWD and directs USDA to review its herd certification program (HCP) within 18 months.

"CWD is a growing threat to both wildlife and livestock, impacting sportsmen, ranchers and the local ecology of regions across the U.S.," said Hoeven, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Our legislation would empower state and tribal governments to better manage and prevent outbreaks of this deadly disease, while also advancing new methods for detecting CWD and limiting its spread."

"Chronic wasting disease is a direct threat to the wildlife that New Mexicans cherish, particularly deer and elk," said Heinrich. "That's why I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation so that we can invest in much-needed research and mitigation. Together we can protect these species and our unique way of life."

Specifically, the legislation authorizes funds for the following priorities:

Research

• Methods to effectively detect CWD in live cervids and the environment.
• Testing methods for non-live cervids.
• Genetic resistance to CWD.
• Sustainable cervid harvest management practices to reduce CWD occurrence.
• Factors contributing to local emergence of CWD.

Management

• Areas with the highest incidence of CWD.
• Jurisdictions demonstrating the greatest financial commitment to managing, monitoring, surveying and researching chronic CWD.
• Efforts to develop comprehensive CWD management policies and programs.
• Areas showing the greatest risk of an initial occurrence of CWD.
• Areas responding to new outbreaks of CWD.

In addition to Hoeven and Heinrich, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

"By threatening Montana wildlife and ecosystems, chronic wasting disease also threatens our sportsmen legacy and outdoor way of life," Daines said. "My bipartisan bill will support Montana's ongoing efforts to research, manage, and contain the spread of chronic wasting disease among wildlife populations."

"Chronic Wasting Disease is a serious threat to the health of deer, elk and other animals--some of which are important food resources in communities," Smith said. "This bill would help support states and tribes research, address, and prevent spread of the disease. This bill has broad support, and hopefully can start addressing the threats that CWD plays to our wild and farmed deer."

"The spread of chronic wasting disease, which has a presence in Mississippi, is a major cause for concern. We must dedicate more resources to understanding all we can about the cause, spread, management and control of this always-fatal disease," Hyde-Smith said. "I am pleased to support Senator Hoeven's legislation to give the USDA more resources to focus on this problem."

"In order to protect Montana's outdoor recreation economy and pristine wildlife, we have to get a handle on Chronic Wasting Disease," said Tester. "With cases rising in Montana, it's critical that the state and Tribes have the necessary resources to research and manage CWD so that we can keep our state safe for years to come."

The CWD Research and Management Act is supported by the following organizations: the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF), Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Boone & Crockett, National Deer Association (NDA), North American Deer Farmers Association (NADeFA), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) and the Mule Deer Foundation.