Federal Funding Statutes and State-Federal Wildlife Authority: Did Congress Demonstrate a Preference for State Wildlife Management Authority with Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson?

Author

James Vaughan Branch, University of Montana, MissoulaFollow

Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Wildlife Biology

Department or School/College

Wildlife Biology Program

Committee Chair

Joshua J. Millspaugh

Commitee Members

Chad J. Bishop, Sarah M. Sells, Len Broberg

Keywords

wildlife conservation policy, wildlife conservation funding, state and federal wildlife authority, state and federal wildlife collaboration

Subject Categories

Animal Law | Legal History | Natural Law | Science and Technology Studies | Zoology

Abstract

The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 now known as Pittman-Robertson and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 now known as Dingell-Johnson are federal statutes which stand as the original and perhaps most significant federal funding statutes supporting state wildlife conservation and management. Congress’s decision to pass these statutes may be argued to be a prima facie endorsement of state wildlife agencies (SWA) as the primary managers of wildlife since each statute dedicated substantial federal excise revenue to SWAs. We hypothesized we would find consistent evidence in favor of primary state management authority over wildlife. Through objective analysis of PR & DJ’s Congressional Record, we discovered limited consideration of relative state and federal authority. We then sought evidence beyond the record of these statutes looking both to the status of wildlife conservation and conservation law when these statutes were passed. This research yielded meaningful insight suggesting Congress’s primary motivation for PR & DJ was to respond to a national wildlife crisis. Finally, we sought to inform the legacy of PR & DJ, looking to the future of state-federal wildlife collaboration and funding by examining the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2022 (RAWA). We draw parallels between the wildlife crisis of the 1930’s and the modern global wildlife crisis, suggesting that RAWA or a similar statue will potentially surpass the importance of PR and DJ for North American wildlife conservation.

Recommended Citation

Branch, James Vaughan, "Federal Funding Statutes and State-Federal Wildlife Authority: Did Congress Demonstrate a Preference for State Wildlife Management Authority with Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson?" (2023). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12171.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12171