U.S. Senate passes the America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act

On Dec. 18, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the America’s Conservation Enhancement Restoration (ACE) Act (S. 3791, H.R. 8811), a law that would reauthorize several key conservation programs through 2030.

This is the final step for the bill in Congress before it makes its way to President Biden to be signed into law.

In early 2024, the Senate first approved the bill, which received bipartisan support. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill with amendments earlier in December. The ACE Act reauthorizes funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, the Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The ACE Act also grants statutory authority to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a black vulture (Coragyps atratus) livestock protection program and conduct research on levels of take currently occurring in black vulture populations. As the range of black vultures has expanded in recent years, landowners have reported higher instances of conflict between the species and livestock. There has also been an increased demand for lethal take of the species. The program authorization included in the ACE Act expands upon a USFWS pilot program to improve permitting for black vulture take under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

As we near the end of 2024, other significant packages of bipartisan conservation legislation are still moving through Congress. The Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver (WILD) Act (S. 2395, H.R. 5009) is expected to go to the president’s desk shortly. The bill reauthorizes funding for the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, as well as several species-specific conservation programs for African and Asian elephants, marine turtles, great apes and others.