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Contact Dusty Johnson to oppose 2 bills (HR 281 & HR 839 ) about Grizzly Bear Delisting
Contact Dusty Johnson to oppose 2 bills (H.R. 281 & H.R. 839 ) about Grizzly Bear Delisting and preventing federal land managers from banning lead used in hunting/fishing on their properties. Dusty Johnson’s phone number in DC is (202) 225-2801
Dusty Johnson is on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee, which will meet on Tuesday 7/15/25 to consider and vote on H.R. 281 and H.R, 839
H.R. 281, is the the “Grizzly Bear State Management Act,” which delists grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and bars judicial review.
H.R. 556, the so-called “Protecting Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025”
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H.R. 281, sponsored by Rep. Harriet Hageman, requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a 2017 rule delisting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) population of grizzly bears and bars judicial review of the reissued rule. This 2017 delisting rule was already held unlawful by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Further, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a January 2025 species status assessment and proposed ruling regarding grizzly bears in the “Lower 48” states. There, FWS, which must base its decisions on the best available scientific and commercial data, found that GYE grizzlies should remain listed as threatened under the ESA.
H.R. 556 would prohibit the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture from regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on certain Federal lands or waters under their jurisdiction.
H.R. 556 would restrict the ability of federal agencies to promote healthier conditions on their jurisdictional lands. By effectively precluding the replacement of lead ammunition and tackle with commonly used non-lead alternatives, the bill would also prevent federal officials from protecting hunters and anglers from consuming lead-poisoned game and fish.
Lead ammunition and tackle have been shown to harm a wide variety of wildlife. For species like California condors, bald and golden eagles, mountain lions, black bears, common loons, and dozens of others, lead is a persistent threat that hampers conservation and recovery efforts. Ingestion of spent lead ammunition is the leading cause of death for the critically endangered California condor. A 2022 paper demonstrated population-level effects in both bald and golden eagles stemming from ingestion of spent lead ammunition. Aquatic species like loons succumb to lead toxicosis via ingesting loose tackle or fish which have consumed lead tackle.
The bill includes an exception whereby lead use may be regulated only if it can be shown that declines in wildlife populations on a specific unit of land were caused by lead ammunition or tackle. This is an impossible standard to meet as population monitoring data is rarely available at the management unit level. It is inconsistent with widely accepted scientific methods, dismisses well established facts about the dangers of lead, and would preclude responsible management actions that could prevent future population declines.
Furthermore, the bill states that any federal regulation of lead that does satisfy the exception must also be approved by the applicable State fish and wildlife agency.
By constraining federal management of federal land, H.R. 556 may also conflict with conservation statutes including the Endangered Species Act.
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This bill will be in committee on Tuesday, so we suggest you call Johnson on Monday. We do not know at what time Johnson’s staff summarizes all the calls received and relays that to the Congressman. We suggest a 4:00 pm EST deadline, but we don’t know what the calling deadline before a committee hearing should be.