To watch Senator Capito’s questions, click here or on the image above.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today participated in a hearing entitled, “Examining Biodiversity Loss: Drivers, Impacts, and Potential Solutions.”
HIGHLIGHTS:
SPORTSMEN’S ROLE IN CONSERVATION: “President Biden’s ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative, or 30x30, sets a goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by the year 2030. I was wondering if the outdoor recreation—particularly hunting and fishing—community was involved in the development of this report. If not, what kind of suggestions or caution flags would you be presenting?”
FLEXIBILITY FOR PRIVATE LAND OWNERS: “As West Virginians, this is very much in our DNA in terms of protecting our own land and making sure the solutions that we find are driven by what we as private land owners can contribute and preserve. In order to improve the Fish and Wildlife habitat, you need to have flexibility for the land owners. Why would you think with your partners at Fish and Wildlife—you said it needs to grow—would be important in addressing this flexibility issue when you’re looking at biodiversity loss?”
LOCAL COMMUNITY CONTROL: “A lot of times I think our local land owners and our folks that have been in the communities for years really are the best stewards of their own properties and know the best way to move forward. When you start pushing down mandates from Washington into other places that don’t fit with the local conservation plan or [vision] for your own property, that’s when it really starts to rub people the wrong way.”
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