November 25, 2020 the Honorable Nancy Pelosi the Honorable Nita
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November 25, 2020 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Nita Lowey Speaker of the House of Representatives Chairwoman U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee H-232, U.S. Capitol H-307, U.S. Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Betty McCollum Chairwoman Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee 2007 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi, Chairwoman Lowey and Chairwoman McCollum, We write to urge your continued support for the humane and sustainable management of wild horses and burros on our public lands. To that end, we request dedicated funding in any final spending package for the implementation of humane, proven and reversible fertility control, namely the porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraceptive vaccine by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We are pleased this amendment to support this effort was adopted by voice vote in the House of Representatives as part of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill. This bipartisan amendment, cosponsored by Representatives Dina Titus, Joe Neguse, Brian Fitzpatrick, David Schweikert, Jan Schakowsky, David Price, Peter King, Ben McAdams, John Katko, Raul Grijalva and Deb Haaland, reflects a strong desire among our House colleagues to see that PZP is implemented. We appreciate the Appropriations Committee’s effort to support the BLM’s horse and burro program in FY20 by providing more than $21 million in additional funding over previously enacted levels. We also appreciate the Committee’s efforts to promote agency accountability, requiring that the BLM submit a report to Congress detailing past expenditures and accounting for future program planning and needs. However, we remain concerned about the BLM’s management of equine populations. As a result of the BLM’s mass roundup strategy and removal mismanagement, there are nearly 50,000 animals in short- and long-term holding, and this number will only increase if the BLM continues to rely primarily on a failed system of mass removals. These holding facilities, like the roundups themselves, are often harmful to the health and well-being of these animals. In fact, efforts to remove horses from the range without supplemental fertility control efforts actually increases population growth rates through compensatory reproduction. The BLM’s focus on roundups comes at a significant cost to taxpayers – $48,000 per horse for removal and holding, according to the agency’s data. The BLM’s recent plan to Congress calls for accelerated roundups and is expected to cost nearly a billion dollars over the next five years alone. Instead of accelerating removals and stockpiling, the BLM should be directed to implement a robust humane, reversible fertility control plan with PZP vaccines. Compared to removals, this offers a much more cost- effective tool at around $30 a dose. Most importantly, PZP is available now and proven to work: 30 years of research demonstrates the effectiveness of PZP, and the National Academy of Sciences noted it as the most effective way to manage wild horse populations. As you consider funding priorities for BLM programs in the final FY21 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, we request that you retain the $11 million in funding for humane, reversible fertility control that received strong bipartisan support and was adopted by the House. We additionally ask that you include report language that instructs the BLM to report back to the Committee within 12 months of enactment of the implementation plan with interim results and details of its fertility control program to ensure accountability and transparency. Dedicating funding toward humane, cost-effective fertility control and requiring the BLM to report its results is critical for the wild horse and burro management program to start on the path towards sustainability. We appreciate your consideration of this important request and look forward to continuing to work with you. Most sincerely, Steve Cohen Dina Titus Member of Congress Member of Congress David Schweikert Brian Fitzpatrick Member of Congress Member of Congress Joe Neguse Ted Deutch Member of Congress Member of Congress Peter DeFazio Deb Haaland Member of Congress Member of Congress Adam Smith Salud Carbajal Member of Congress Member of Congress Raja Krishnamoorthi Jan Schakowsky Member of Congress Member of Congress Vern Buchanan Gerald E. Connolly Member of Congress Members of Congress John Katko Lucille Roybal-Allard Member of Congress Member of Congress Barbara Lee Ro Khanna Member of Congress Member of Congress Ted W. Lieu Alcee L. Hastings Member of Congress Member of Congress Carolyn B. Maloney Raúl M. Grijalva Member of Congress Member of Congress November 25, 2020 The Honorable Richard Shelby The Honorable Patrick Leahy Chair Vice Chair Senate Appropriations Committee Senate Appropriations Committee Room S-128. The Capitol Room S-146A, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Lisa Murkowski The Honorable Tom Udall Chair Ranking Member Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, Related Agencies Appropriations and Related Agencies Appropriations 125 Hart Senate Office Building 131 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Leahy, Chairman Murkowski, and Ranking Member Udall: We write to urge your continued support for the humane and sustainable management of wild horses and burros on our public lands, and to ask that you allocate $11 million in dedicated funding in any final spending package for the implementation of humane, proven, and reversible fertility control – namely the porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraceptive vaccine – which the House adopted by voice vote as part of its FY2021 Interior appropriations bill. Our federally protected wild horses and burros are symbols of American freedom, and the American public overwhelmingly supports humane management and protection from harm. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must begin to robustly implement proven and scientifically supported fertility control to ensure a humane, effective, and sustainable strategy. We appreciate your Committee’s effort to support the BLM’s horse and burro program in FY2020 by providing more than $21 million in additional funding over previously enacted levels. We also appreciate your efforts to promote agency accountability, requiring that the BLM submit a report to Congress detailing past expenditures and accounting for future program planning and needs. However, we remain concerned about the BLM’s management of equine populations. As a result of the BLM’s mass roundup strategy and removal mismanagement, there are nearly 48,000 animals in short- and long-term holding, and this number will only increase if the BLM continues to rely primarily on a failed system of mass removals. These holding facilities, like the roundups themselves, are often harmful to the health and well-being of these animals, and efforts to remove horses from the range without supplemental fertility control efforts actually increases population growth rates through compensatory reproduction. The BLM’s focus on roundups comes at a significant cost to taxpayers – roughly $48,000 per horse for removal and holding, according to the agency’s data. The BLM’s recent plan to Congress calls for accelerated roundups and is expected to cost nearly a billion dollars over the next 5 years alone. However, there is a path forward that would allow for both cost savings and humane management. Instead of accelerating removals and stockpiling horses in permanent holding facilities, the BLM should be directed to implement a robust humane, reversible fertility control plan with immunocontraceptives such as PZP vaccines. Compared to removals, this offers a much more cost-effective tool at around $30 a dose; most importantly, PZP is available now and proven to work. Thirty years of research demonstrates the effectiveness of PZP and the National Academy of Sciences noted it as the most effective way to manage wild horse populations. As you consider funding priorities for BLM programs in FY2021, we request that you include the $11 million in appropriated funding for humane, reversible fertility control that was adopted by the House. Importantly, inclusion of this provision would entail no additional funding, but rather would ensure that a portion of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro program budget is used to implement effective and humane fertility control. We additionally ask that you include report language that requires the BLM to report back to the Committee within 12 months of enactment of the implementation plan with interim results and details of its fertility control program to ensure accountability and transparency. Dedicating funding toward humane, cost-effective fertility control and requiring the BLM to report its results is critical for the wild horse and burro management program to start on the path towards sustainability. Sincerely, __________________________ /s/__________________________ Cory A. Booker Chris Van Hollen United States Senator United States Senator __________________________/s/ /s/__________________________ Kyrsten Sinema Dianne Feinstein United States Senator United States Senator __________________________/s/ __________________________/s/ Catherine Cortez Masto Jacky Rosen United States Senator United States Senator .