UNITED STATES—On May 4, conservative leaders and outdoorsman announced ongoing efforts to halt years-long efforts by the Biden administration to place a ban on lead used in ammunition and fishing lures on federal property.
Wild game and fishing advocates expressed their belief that the Biden administration is curbing hunting and gun use by banning lead used in ammunition, and only selling high-priced alternatives raising the cost of hunting and fishing.
On April 18, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, two Republican Senators from Idaho, along with Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana signed, The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act, to prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from banning traditional lead ammunition and tackle on public lands.
“The Attack on the way Idahoans live continues at the hands of the Biden Administration,” Crapo stated.
“Hunting and fishing is a way of life in Idaho, but recent attempts by the administration to ban affordable lead ammunition and tackle is getting in the way of practicing and sharing these traditions. The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act will ensure Idaho’s sportsmen and women can continue to use lead ammo and tackle rather than the expensive alternatives,” said Senator Risch.
In 2022, the USFWS allocated 40,000 acres of federal land for hunting and fishing activities, but the agency banned the use of lead-based ammunition or tackle on the donated land. According to Crapo, there has been no indication that harm was ever caused to humans or animals over the use of these products. Senators Crapo and Risch filed similar legislation to the 117th Congress in 2021.
On December 16, 2021, the Biden Administration announced the Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris unfolded a dateline for when steps to the banning of lead pipes/paint in homes would occur. The plan was to allocate $3 billion to replace pipes and faucets in underserved communities.
The following statement regarding the plan came directly from the White House webpage:
“Up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and childcare centers are served by a lead service line or pipes and other fixtures. Approximately 24 million housing units have significant lead-based paint hazards, of which 4 million of these are home to young children. Non-Hispanic Black people are more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic white people to live in moderately or severely substandard housing, which is more likely to present risks from deteriorating lead-based paint,” reads a statement from The White House website.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead-based paint for residential use was banned in 1978.
