WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released a statement following EPW’s advancement of S. 1514, the Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy Preservation (HELP) for Wildlife Act, of which he is a cosponsor. The bipartisan bill reauthorizes and establishes several government wildlife conservation programs and provides regulatory clarity for sportsmen. 

Today’s markup of S. 1514 included an Inhofe amendment allowing land-grant universities to use the value of their land toward match requirements necessary to receive Pittman-Robertson funds. The Pittman-Robertson Act provides funds to states for animal and habitat conservation and public hunting access. The amendment passed by voice vote. 

“Sportsmen are vital partners in conservation efforts and land-grant universities should have the same access to conservation resources as other entities. My amendment will allow Oklahoma State University to use Pittman-Robertson funding to construct a shotgun range on their land. OSU was previously denied this funding because of their land’s previous federal status,” Inhofe said. “The HELP for Wildlife Act encourages conservation in a scientifically supported manner while protecting Oklahoma’s sportsmen and our hunting heritage. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue advancing this bill.” 

Details of HELP for Wildlife Act: 

1. Reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act until 2023;
2. Reauthorize the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Act until 2023;
3. Reauthorize the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act until 2023;
4. Prohibit judicial review of the final rule de-listing the gray wolf in Wyoming that was reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on March 3, 2017 and republished on May 1, 2017;
5. Mandate the reissuance of the final rule de-listing the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes and prohibits judicial review;
6. Reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program until 2023;
7. Reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails network and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Grants Assistance Program until 2023;
8. Finalize partnerships among public agencies and other interested parties for promoting fish conservation;
9. Prevent farmers from being held liable for bird baiting for hunting purposes if they adhere to USDA and state agricultural best practices; and
10. Promote the building and expansion of public target ranges.