IB
Union Calendar No. 161
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2454
[Report No. 106–271]
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
JULY 29, 1999
Additional sponsors: Mr. PICKETT, Mr. JOHN, Mr. DICKEY, Mr. TAUZIN, Mr.
SHERWOOD, Mr. LARGENT, and Mr. DOOLITTLE
JULY 29, 1999
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 1, 1999]
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
5,200,000 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 could
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 in
the United States;
(B) the establishment of sanctuaries along
the United States 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 ecosystem
in Canada is being systematically destroyed. This
ecosystem contains approximately 135,000 acres of es-
sential habitat for migrating light geese and many
other avian species. Biologists have testified 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.
(K) Yellow Rail.
(6) It is essential that the current population of
mid-continent light geese be reduced by 50 percent by
the year 2005 to ensure that the fragile Arctic tundra
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 migra-
tory birds depend.
SEC. 3. FORCE AND EFFECT OF RULES TO CONTROL OVER-
ABUNDANT MID-CONTINENT LIGHT GEESE
POPULATIONS.
(a) FORCE AND EFFECT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The rules published by the
Service on February 16, 1999, relating to use of addi-
tional 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 re-
duction of mid-continent light goose populations (64
Fed. Reg. 7517–7528), shall have the force and effect
of law.
(2) PUBLIC
NOTICE.—The Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Service, shall take such ac-
tion as is necessary to appropriately notify the public
of the force and effect of the rules referred to in para-
graph (1).
(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;
(B) the date of the publication of a final en-
vironmental impact statement for such rules
under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environ-
mental 
Policy 
Act 
of 
1969 
(42 
U.S.C.
4332(2)(C)); and
(C) May 15, 2001.
(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 Can-
ada and the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Lou-
isiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wis-
consin, 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.
Union Calendar No. 161
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2454
[Report No. 106–271]
A BILL
To assure the long-term conservation of mid-con-
tinent light geese and the biological diversity of
the ecosystem upon which many North American
migratory birds depend, by directing the Sec-
retary of the Interior to implement rules to re-
duce the overabundant population of mid-con-
tinent light geese.
JULY 29, 1999
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
and ordered to be printed