Bill to Increase the Price of Duck Stamps Passes Committee
A bill that would increase the price of duck stamps passed the House Natural Resources committee earlier this week by voice vote. Chairman John Fleming (R-LA) - who sponsored the bill - touted the price increase as "common sense" at last week's subcommittee hearing.
Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, or Duck Stamps, are permits required to hunt waterfowl in the United States. The money raised by the stamps goes to wetland conservation efforts that in turn lead to more waterfowl.
The proposed bill (H.R. 5069) would amend the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act of 1934 to increase the price of the stamps from $15 to $25 and also require that the extra $10 go to conservation easement purchases.
Proponents of the bill justify the price hike because the price of the stamp has not changed since 1991 while land values - and therefore the price of easements - have tripled since then. Steve Guertin, Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, agreed with this assessment in his testimony before the subcommittee while pointing out that easements are one of the most cost effective and efficient tools for conservation. Guertin also assured the committee that a more expensive stamp would not decrease sales.
The subcommittee ranking member Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP) agreed at the hearing that the stamps are critical to conservation, but disagreed with the provision in the bill that requires the extra money to go towards the purchase of easements. His sentiments were echoed at the full committee hearing by Delegate Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) who pointed out that land purchases are an important conservation tool in addition to easements.
