[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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