Congressional Record, Volume 158 Issue 19 (Monday, February 6, 2012)

[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 19 (Monday, February 6, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H480-H481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

COROLLA WILD HORSES PROTECTION ACT

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 306) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
enter into an agreement to provide for management of the free-roaming
wild horses in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 306

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Corolla Wild Horses
Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. WILD HORSES IN AND AROUND THE CURRITUCK NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE.

(a) Agreement Required.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall enter
into an agreement with the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (a
nonprofit corporation established under the laws of the State
of North Carolina), the County of Currituck, North Carolina,
and the State of North Carolina within 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act to provide for management of
free-roaming wild horses in and around the Currituck National
Wildlife Refuge.
(2) Terms.--The agreement shall--
(A) allow a herd of not less than 110 and not more than 130
free-roaming wild horses in and around such refuge, with a
target population of between 120 and 130 free-roaming wild
horses;
(B) provide for cost-effective management of the horses
while ensuring that natural resources within the refuge are
not adversely impacted;
(C) provide for introduction of a small number of free-
roaming wild horses from the herd at Cape Lookout National
Seashore as is necessary to maintain the genetic viability of
the herd in and around the Currituck National Wildlife
Refuge; and
(D) specify that the Corolla Wild Horse Fund shall pay the
costs associated with--
(i) coordinating a periodic census and inspecting the
health of the horses;
(ii) maintaining records of the horses living in the wild
and in confinement;
(iii) coordinating the removal and placement of horses and
monitoring of any horses removed from the Currituck County
Outer Banks; and
(iv) administering a viable population control plan for the
horses including auctions, adoptions, contraceptive fertility
methods, and other viable options.
(b) Conditions for Excluding Wild Horses From Refuge.--The
Secretary shall not exclude free-roaming wild horses from any
portion of the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge unless--
(1) the Secretary finds that the presence of free-roaming
wild horses on a portion of the Refuge threatens the survival
of an endangered species for which such land is designated as
critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);
(2) such finding is based on a credible peer-reviewed
scientific assessment; and
(3) the Secretary provides a period of public notice and
comment on that finding.
(c) Requirements for Introduction of Horses From Cape
Lookout National Seashore.--During the effective period of
the memorandum of understanding between the National Park
Service and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses, Inc. (a
non-profit corporation organized under the laws of and doing
business in the State of North Carolina) signed in 2007, no
horse may be removed from Cape Lookout National Seashore for
introduction at Currituck National Wildlife Refuge except--
(1) with the approval of the Foundation; and
(2) consistent with the terms of such memorandum (or any
successor agreement) and the Management Plan for the
Shackleford Banks Horse Herd signed in January 2006 (or any
successor management plan).
(d) No Liability Created.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed as creating liability for the United States for any
damages caused by the free-roaming wild horses to any person
or property located inside or outside the boundaries of the
refuge.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana
Islands (Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.

General Leave

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, in 2007, the State of North Carolina, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the County of Currituck, and the Corolla Wild Horse
Fund completed a Wild Horse Management Plan for the colonial Spanish
Mustangs that live on the 7,544 acres of public and private lands in
coastal North Carolina. This plan expires in April, and the Fish and
Wildlife Service has indicated that they will not sign the 2012 plan.
H.R. 306, authored by my friend and classmate Congressman Walter
Jones from North Carolina, requires the Secretary of the Interior to
enter into a new agreement within 180 days of enactment.
It will also stabilize the number of horses to no more than 130,
allow the introduction of a small number of Shackleford Banks horses to
improve genetic diversity, and will ensure that the Corolla Wild Horse
Fund will continue to pay for the costs of caring for and managing
these horses.
Mr. Speaker, these horses are living symbols of our colonial history.
H.R. 306 ensures that they will survive in the future at no cost to our
taxpayers.
I want to thank my friend from North Carolina for his leadership on
this matter, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
(Mr. SABLAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 306. H.R. 306, as
amended, directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an
agreement with the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, as well as local and State
authorities, to provide for the management of the free-roaming wild
horses in and around Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. The agreement
will increase the cap on the herd size in and around the refuge to 130
horses and specifies that the privately funded Corolla Wild Horse Fund
will cover the costs of managing the herd.
Catching a glimpse of these horses on the beach is an integral part
of what draws thousands of visitors to the North Carolina coast each
year. However, the Currituck refuge was established in 1984 to preserve
and protect the native coastal barrier island ecosystem. The refuge
provides essential habitat for migrating waterfowl and endangered
species, such as piping plover and sea turtles, which also draws
visitors to these beaches.
It is unusual to protect a nonnative species in a wildlife refuge.
Extra effort and resources are needed to ensure that the wild herd does
not impair the ecosystem for the native animals and plants. The Fish
and Wildlife Service needs additional funds to accomplish the
conservation purposes of the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.
Additional resources would support staff salaries, since no staff is
currently stationed at Currituck National Wildlife Refuge; corrals to
keep the horses from trampling critical habitat; and research to study
the potential impacts of these horses on the island's habitat.
As we move forward to consider the Fish and Wildlife Service budget
later this month, we should examine the operations and maintenance
backlog of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which has been
chronically underfunded. We must provide the Fish and Wildlife Service
adequate funding to

[[Page H481]]

preserve all the species in the home of these horses.
I thank Mr. Jones for his work in support of the Currituck National
Wildlife Refuge and urge adoption of H.R. 306.
I reserve the balance of my time.

{time} 1640

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4
minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Jones).
Mr. JONES. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for the time. To the
ranking member, thank you for your comments as well.
As has already been stated, H.R. 306 would provide for a new public-
private management plan for the free roaming Corolla wild horses of
North Carolina's Outer Banks--at no cost to our taxpayers.
The Corolla wild horses are Colonial Spanish Mustangs that can be
traced back to the Spanish explorers on the Outer Banks in the 16th
century. They've survived in the wild for over 400 years and roam
across 7,500 acres of public and private land in coastal Currituck
County, North Carolina.
Under the existing management agreement between the Interior
Department, the State of North Carolina, Currituck County, and the
nonprofit Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the maximum number of horses allowed
in the herd is 60. Equine genetic scientists believe the number of 60
threatens the herd's existence due to high levels of inbreeding and low
levels of genetic diversity.
To address this issue, H.R. 306 would require a new management plan
to allow a herd of no less than 110 horses and no more than 130 horses.
110 is the minimum number that leading equine genetic scientist Dr. Gus
Cothran of Texas A&M University has found to be necessary to maintain
the herd's genetic viability. It is important to note that these
numbers are well within the carrying capacity of the land these horses
call home. To improve the herd's genetics, the bill would allow for the
limited introduction of wild horses from the related herd at Cape
Lookout National Seashore.
I would like to emphasize that H.R. 306 requires the Corolla Wild
Horse Fund, not the Federal Government, to pay for managing the horses.
The fund is a thriving nonprofit with an annual budget of over $400,000
that is growing each and every year. They already pay the costs of
managing the horses, and they will continue to do so under this bill.
Confirming this point, the CBO score on H.R. 306 found ``the Federal
Government would incur no significant additional costs to manage or
mitigate the effects of horses on the refuge.''
H.R. 306 is similar to another bipartisan bill that was made
reference to a while ago that I authored to create a public-private
partnership to save the wild horses of Shackleford Banks in Cape
Lookout National Seashore. That legislation was passed by the
Republican House in 1998 and was signed into law by President Bill
Clinton. I want to, at this time, acknowledge for the record that his
Chief of Staff, Erskine Bowles, was instrumental in that bill's
becoming law.
Mr. Speaker, the Corolla wild horses are a key part of North
Carolina's heritage and an important element of the Outer Banks'
economy. In fact, they're the North Carolina State horse. H.R. 306 has
broad bipartisan support, and I want to thank both parties for that
support. Among others, it is supported by North Carolina Governor Bev
Perdue, Currituck County and the local community, the Corolla Wild
Horse Fund, the Humane Society, the American Society for Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Foundation
for Shackleford Horses.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I make reference to these posters. As you
can well see, these horses have their own heritage. They are absolutely
wonderful, beautiful animals, and many times on the coast of North
Carolina, when these horses are standing in the ocean with their foal,
you will see those tourists come right up to the horse and to the foal
and pet them. These horses are part of our heritage, and I thank both
parties for passing this bill as I hope that we will pass this bill
today.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I urge the passage of this important
piece of legislation for North Carolina, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 306, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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