"A committee debate yesterday on a sweeping wildlife conservation bill exposed deep partisan divisions that could stymie success on an otherwise bipartisan proposal.

At a markup of the House Natural Resources Committee, Republicans praised the "Recovering America’s Wildlife Act," H.R. 2773, as necessary to combat the biodiversity crisis and prevent future additions to the list of endangered species.

But they also proposed multiple amendments designed to undermine the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act — federal programs Democrats hold dear.

The two parties similarly got no closer to an agreement on a suitable offset for the measure’s nearly $1.4 billion in annual spending, a sticking point a majority of Republicans on the committee said they needed in order to ultimately support the legislation."

Emma Dumain reports for E&E News January 20, 2022. [2]