Urging Congress to pass the Recovering America's Wildlife Act.
Should this act be enacted, Texas would be eligible to receive approximately $63 million each year to execute its Texas Conservation Action Plan. This plan aims to conserve and enhance the status of plants and animals deemed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The funding would primarily be managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, empowering local wildlife managers and private landowners to engage in conservation efforts, thereby minimizing the need for regulatory interventions.
HCR61 is a concurrent resolution urging the United States Congress to pass the Recovering America's Wildlife Act. This act is intended to address the alarming decline of over one-third of wildlife and plant species across the United States, particularly focusing on Texas, which has 1,310 species in need of conservation. The passage of this act would establish a dedicated funding mechanism providing $1.3 billion annually for state-level conservation efforts, financed through existing royalties from energy and mineral production on federal lands, thus imposing no additional tax burden on the public.
The resolution highlights the dual benefits of conservation efforts: ecological and economic. Proponents argue that the Recovering America's Wildlife Act would not only secure the future of at-risk species but also encourage job creation, provide regulatory certainty, and boost nature tourism, positively impacting the state's economy. However, while there is strong support for wildlife conservation, potential opposition may arise from entities concerned about the implications of increased federal involvement in state-managed resources and land.