Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on four bills aimed at modernizing the Endangered Species Act (ESA), limiting federal overreach in state water rights, and reauthorizing key programs for wildlife and ecosystem health. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) commented:

"The legislation the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee considered today will continue our efforts to address the federal usurpations of state control and authority over a state’s water resources, combatting the Nutria infestation, and reauthorizing essential U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conservation programs. By strengthening transparency, species recovery efforts, and responding to recent Supreme Court rulings, these measures balance conservation approaches. These reforms will protect our communities while safeguarding our natural environment."

The discussion draft of H.R. _____, the ESA Amendments Act of 2024, introduced by House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), proposes critical reforms to clarify existing definitions within the ESA and establish an environmental baseline for measuring successful outcomes. The bill aims to incentivize species recovery on both private and public lands while promoting greater transparency and accountability in the ESA regulatory process.

H.R. 7544, the Water Rights Protection Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), mandates that any federal actions impacting water rights must not impose more significant restrictions than those imposed by applicable state law. This legislation seeks to ensure states retain primacy over water rights determinations.

H.R. 8811, the America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), reauthorizes and amends conservation programs initially authorized under the original ACE Act signed into law in 2020. These programs include the North American Wetland Conservation Program and the Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force.

H.R. 8308, the Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.), reauthorizes a program aimed at eradicating nutria—an invasive rodent species—in areas such as Chesapeake Bay and Louisiana where they have caused significant ecological damage.