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1 1 (July 29, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveede0001 and id is 1 raw text is: it $ervkze n w~ ho Ie§LIatI t Sen e V~14 Updated July 29, 2021 Wild Horse and Burro Management: Overview of Costs Background The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (the 1971 Act, 16 U.S.C. §§1331 etseq.)providesfor management andprotectionofwild horses andburros by the Bureau of Land Management(BLM, Department of the Interior) and ForestService (FS, Departmentof Agriculture). Federalmanagement of wild horses and burros has generated controversy, proposals for change, and laws uits for years. Issues for Congress include the adequacy of authorities to achieve the appropriate management level (AML) on the range, effectiveness of agency management, and sufficiency of funding. Overview of Authority Under the 1971 Act, BLM and FS are to inventory hoise and burro populations periodically to determine AMLs. The agencies are authorized to remove animals exceeding the range's carrying capacity to achieve AML. When the pertinent Secretary determines that an overpopulation exists and that it is necessary to remove excess animals, the law requires specific actions (16 U.S.C. § 1333(b)(2)). First, the Secretary shall order old, sick, or lame animals to be destroyed in the mosthumane manner possible. Second, the Secretary shall cause ...excess ...horses and burros to be humanely captured forprivate adoption. Third, the Secretary shall cause excess animals to be destroyed in the most humane andcostefficientmannerpossible. Over the decades, laws have included additional authorities to reduce excess animals. In 2004, for instance, P.L. 108- 447, Section 142, authorized animal sales, including provisions to direct the agencies to sell, without limitation, excess animals (or remains) that are more than 10 years old or offered for adoption unsuccessfully at least 3times; remove a ban on sale of wild horses and burros andtheir remains for processing into commercialproducts; and remove criminal penalties for processing the remains of a wild horse or burro into commercial products, if it is sold under the new authority. These changes have been supportedby some as providing a cost-effective way ofhelping achieve AML, improving the health of the animals, protecting rangeresources, and restoring a natural ecologicalb alance on federal lands. The changes have been opposed by others as potentially leading to the destruction of healthy animals and limited by agency policies and use of appropriated funds. Since 1982, the agencies havenot used their authority to destroy healthy animals. Most recently, the FY2021 Interior appropriations law(P.L. 116-260, Division G, § 419) prohibited the use of funds for destruction ofhealthy animals or for sales of animals that result in processing into commercial products. Most appropriations laws since FY1988 have contained similar prohibitions on BLM funding. Population Achieving and maintaining the number of wild horses and burros at the national AMLhas challenged BLM for decades. BLM has set the upper limit for AML for all wild horse and burro herds on its lands at 26,785 animals. As of March 2021, the estimated number of animals on BLM lands was 86,189, more than triple the AML. BLM manages wild horses andburros in 177 herd management areas (HMAs) in 10 wes tern states. Nearly half of the HMAs and more than half of the animals are located in Nevada. Four other s tates each have at least 5,000 animals: California, Wyoming, Arizona, and Oregon. Thousands of additional animals -50,030 as of June 2021-are being managedby BLM off-range. They were removed fromrangelands exceeding the AML. Most are being cared for in long -term(pas ture) holding facilities for the remainder of their lives, although others are being readied for adoption or s ale in short-term(corral) facilities. For FS lands, the AMLis roughly 2,400 for 2021. The number of wild horses andburros on FS lands-about 10,700-is more than four times the AML. The animals are on 34 active territories in seven states, with about two dozen of themmanaged jointly with BLM. Given the larger populations on BLM lands, mostofthe public and congressional focus has been on BLM management. Wild Horse and Burro Program Funding It is unclear whether funding levels have been appropriate to care forwild horses andburros. Programcosts would vary basedon the overall management strategy adoptedand the particular programs emphasized (e.g., off-range holding, adoption, or population control). Forinstance, a 2018 BLM report to Congress presented different options for wild horse andburro management with varying associated costs. BLM Historical Appropriations: FY2OOO-FY2O2 I For FY2021, the appropriation for BLM management of wild horses and burros was $115.7 million, a 14% increase from the FY2020 level($101.6 million). FY2021 funding was more than five times the amount for FY2000 ($20.4 million) and an 81% increase overFY2010 ($64.0 million), in nominal dollars. Figure 1 depicts BLM's annual funding. (FS appropriations are not separately identifiable.) https://crsrepc

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