WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, testified to the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee on his bill, H.R.615 – Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023. The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023 bars the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition and tackle on federal lands unless the ammunition and tackle is scientifically proven to be harmful to the wildlife in designated refuges. Following the Hearing, Congressman Wittman stated:
“America is blessed with an abundance of natural resources which hunters and anglers have helped responsibly steward, managing and using them in ways that allow them to flourish for generations to come. The Biden Administration’s agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity to arbitrarily expand bans of lead ammunition and tackle on National Wildlife Refuges Systems is incredibly reckless and threatens the crucial role hunters and anglers play in wildlife conservation. I introduced the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023 to prevent the Biden Administration Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture from banning traditional hunting ammunition and fishing tackle, an unscientific decision aimed at limiting the participation of outdoorsmen and women in these time-honored outdoor activities. Our sportsmen and women are some of our most significant contributors to conservation, and I will continue to advocate for their access to federal lands.”
