II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4584 

To prohibit the use of M–44 devices, commonly known as ‘‘cyanide bombs’’, 

on public land, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21, 2022 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BOOKER, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 

and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use of M–44 devices, commonly known as 

‘‘cyanide bombs’’, on public land, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as ‘‘Canyon’s Law’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) Sodium cyanide is the highly toxic pesticide 

8 active ingredient used in M–44 devices, also known 

9 as ‘‘cyanide bombs’’, and is used to kill wolves, 


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1 coyotes, foxes, and wild dogs suspected of preying on 

2 livestock and poultry. 

3 (2) Sodium cyanide is registered for restricted 

4 use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

5 Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.) as a Cat6 egory One acute toxicant, the most hazardous Envi7 ronmental Protection Agency classification available, 

8 due to the harm it poses to people and the environ9 ment. 

10 (3) Poisoning by sodium cyanide leads to cen11 tral nervous system depression, cardiac arrest, res12 piratory failure, paralysis, and blindness. 

13 (4) The Environmental Protection Agency au14 thorizes the use of M–44 devices nationwide, and in 

15 recent years, M–44s were used in Colorado, Idaho, 

16 North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, 

17 Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, 

18 and Wyoming. 

19 (5) In 2017, an M–44 device exposed an Idaho 

20 child to a sublethal dose of sodium cyanide with sub21 sequent short-term and long-term medical complica22 tions. Two Wyoming children were also exposed to 

23 the poison from another M–44 device. Three family 

24 dogs died in these two separate incidents. 


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1 (6) The indiscriminate M–44 device commonly 

2 harms nontarget wildlife and people; at least 42 peo3 ple have accidentally triggered a cyanide bomb caus4 ing exposure to cyanide gas and injuries since 1984. 

5 (7) M–44 devices kill targeted animals only 53 

6 percent of the time. Thousands of nontarget species 

7 of animals have been killed by M–44s, including bald 

8 eagles, golden eagles, gray wolves, black bears, griz9 zly bears, bobcats, fishers, and family dogs. 

10 (8) Despite the United States Fish and Wildlife 

11 Service determining in 1993 that M–44 devices 

12 could kill endangered species like the California Con13 dor, the use of the M–44 continues in areas where 

14 endangered species are found and continues to result 

15 in the deaths of endangered species. 

16 SEC. 3. USE OF M–44 DEVICES ON PUBLIC LAND PROHIB17 ITED. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Preparing, placing, installing, set19 ting, deploying, or otherwise using an M–44 device on 

20 public land is prohibited. 

21 (b) REMOVAL.—Not later than 30 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, any Federal, State, or county 

23 agency that has prepared, placed, installed, set, or de24 ployed an M–44 device on public land shall remove each 

25 such M–44 device from public land. 


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1 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 

2 (1) M–44 DEVICE.— 

3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘M–44 de4 vice’’ means a device designed to propel sodium 

5 cyanide when triggered by an animal. 

6 (B) COMMON NAMES.—The term ‘‘M–44 

7 device’’ includes any device that may be com8 monly known as an ‘‘M–44 ejector device’’ or 

9 an ‘‘M–44 predator control device’’. 

10 (2) PUBLIC LAND.—The term ‘‘public land’’ 

11 means any Federal land under the administrative ju12 risdiction of a public land management agency. 

13 (3) PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY.—The 

14 term ‘‘public land management agency’’ means each 

15 of, or a combination of, the following: 

16 (A) The National Park Service. 

17 (B) The United States Fish and Wildlife 

18 Service. 

19 (C) The Bureau of Land Management. 

20 (D) The Bureau of Reclamation. 

21 (E) The Forest Service. 

Æ 


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