I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2454
To assure the long-term conservation of mid-continent light geese and the
biological diversity of the ecosystem upon which many North American
migratory birds depend, by directing the Secretary of the Interior to
implement rules to reduce the overabundant population of mid-continent
light geese.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 1, 1999
Mr. SAXTON (for himself, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. DINGELL, Mr.
CHAMBLISS, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. HUNTER,
Mr. CUNNINGHAM, and Mr. TANNER) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To assure the long-term conservation of mid-continent light
geese and the biological diversity of the ecosystem upon
which many North American migratory birds depend,
by directing the Secretary of the Interior to implement
rules to reduce the overabundant population of mid-con-
tinent light geese.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Arctic Tundra Habitat
Emergency Conservation Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The winter index population of mid-con-
tinent light geese was 800,000 birds in 1969, while
the total population of such geese is more than
5,000,000 birds today.
(2) The population of mid-continent light geese
is expanding by over 5 percent each year, and in the
absence of new wildlife management actions it will
grow to more than 6,800,000 breeding light geese in
3 years.
(3) The primary reasons for this unprecedented
population growth are—
(A) the expansion of agricultural areas and
the resulting abundance of cereal grain crops;
(B) the establishment of sanctuaries along
the flyways of migrating light geese; and
(C) a decline in light geese harvest rates.
(4) As a direct result of this population explo-
sion, the Hudson Bay Lowlands Salt-Marsh eco-
system in Canada is being systematically destroyed.
This ecosystem contains approximately 135,000
acres of essential habitat for migrating light geese
and many other avian species. Biologists have testi-
fied that 1⁄3 of this habitat has been destroyed, 1⁄3
is on the brink of devastation, and the remaining 1⁄3
is overgrazed.
(5) The destruction of the Arctic tundra is hav-
ing a severe negative impact on many avian species
that breed or migrate through this habitat, including
the following:
(A) Canada Goose.
(B) American Wigeon.
(C) Dowitcher.
(D) Hudsonian Godwit.
(E) Stilt Sandpiper.
(F) Northern Shoveler.
(G) Red-Breasted Merganser.
(H) Oldsquaw.
(I) Parasitic Jaeger.
(J) Whimbrel.
(H) Yellow Rail.
(6) It is essential that the population of mid-
continent light geese be reduced by 50 percent by
the year 2005 to ensure that the fragile Arctic tun-
dra is not irreversibly damaged.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are the fol-
lowing:
(1) To reduce the population of mid-continent
light geese.
(2) To assure the long-term conservation of
mid-continent light geese and the biological diversity
of the ecosystem upon which many North American
migratory birds depend.
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO IMPLEMENT RULES TO CONTROL
OVERABUNDANT 
MID-CONTINENT 
LIGHT
GEESE POPULATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall implement
the rules published by the Service on February 16, 1999,
relating to use of additional hunting methods to increase
the harvest of mid-continent light geese (64 Fed. Reg.
7507–7517) and the establishment of a conservation order
for the reduction of mid-continent light goose populations
(64 Fed. Reg. 7517–7528), without regard to the with-
drawal of such rules by the rule published on June 17,
1999 (64 Fed. Reg. 32778–32780).
(b) APPLICATION.—Subsection (a) shall apply only
during the period that—
(1) begins on the date of the enactment of this
Act; and
(2) ends on the latest of—
(A) the effective date of rules issued by the
Service after such date of enactment to control
overabundant mid-continent light geese popu-
lations; and
(B) the date of the publication of a final
environmental impact statement for such rules
under section 102(2)(C) of the National Envi-
ronmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4332(2)(C)).
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—This section shall not
be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary or the
Service to issue rules, under another law, to regulate the
taking of mid-continent light geese.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) MID-CONTINENT LIGHT GEESE.—The term
‘‘mid-continent light geese’’ means Lesser snow
geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross
geese (Anser rossii) that primarily migrate between
Canada and the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Colo-
rado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mis-
souri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Da-
kota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
(3) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Service’’ means the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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