Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2999 - African Elephant Conservation Act

(House)
(Beilenson (D) California and 118 others)

The Administration supports the intent of H.R. 2999 — to promote the conservation of the African elephant — but opposes enactment of H.R. 2999. The Administration believes the best way to achieve this objective is to continue to support the ivory Quota and Trade Control System of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 2999 for several reasons, including:

—    Existing law already provides sufficient authority to ban ivory imports when such action is justified and beneficial.

—    Under H.R. 2999, the Secretary of the Interior could be required to impose ivory import bans without sufficient flexibility to ensure that such action would be productive.

—    Improperly imposed, a ban on imports could weaken the resolve of African nations to implement existing elephant conservation measures.

—    Unless other countries participate, any ban would be ineffectual, because the United States imports a small percentage of ivory exported from African countries.

—    The bill would be fundamentally inconsistent with sound foreign policy practices by authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to provide grant funds directly to African government agencies.

—    Earmarking receipts from certain fines and penalties to an "African Elephant Conservation Fund," dedicated to supply money for grants to African government agencies, would conflict with sound resource allocation and budgetary principles.

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(Not to be Distributed Outside Executive Office of the President)