Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : House OKs More Uses for Wildlife Refuges

The House passed a bill to make fishing, hunting and other recreation primary uses of federal wildlife refuges, in direct competition with wildlife conservation. The bill, blasted by conservation groups as a perversion of the purpose of refuges, passed 287 to 138. The White House Office of Management and Budget said it would recommend that the bill be vetoed because it would “greatly weaken the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ability to protect the National Wildlife Refuge system from harmful activities.” Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) said the legislation would “ensure that essential habitats are protected and that the American people have an opportunity to fully utilize those federal lands that are paid for with their tax dollars, the entrance fees and from purchases of duck stamps.”