Senators Clash Over Owl-Killing Plan

A Senate debate over a plan to protect an endangered owl species by killing other owls turned heated on Wednesday, though the Biden administration's controversial proposal survived. GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana forced a vote on a resolution to block the Fish and Wildlife Service's plan, which calls for culling non-native barred owls to save the critically endangered northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, Politico reports.

• The measure failed 25-72, but not before Kennedy, known for his colorful rhetoric, made his objections clear. He denounced the policy as federal "arrogance" and brought props to the Senate floor, including owl posters and an Elmer Fudd cartoon. Kennedy recounted a call from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking him to drop the resolution, saying he told Burgum to "call somebody who cared what he thought."

• Kennedy also described the barred owl as having "very soulful eyes." "The barred owls are not hurting anybody. They're just doing what nature taught them to do," he said, per a news release from his office. "We're going to change nature? We're going to control our environment to this extent? We're going to pass DEI for owls?"
• The issue cut across party lines, dividing both senators and advocacy groups. Some animal rights advocates supported Kennedy's bid, while many environmentalists backed the cull as necessary for saving the native spotted owl. The Trump administration, siding with loggers worried about land-use restrictions, also supports the Biden-era plan.

• The plan has created an unusual alliance between environmentalists and loggers in the region, the Los Angeles Times reports. Scientists warn that the northern spotted owl could go extinct if the larger and more aggressive barred owls, native to eastern North America, are allowed to outcompete them. Loggers worry that killing the plan could delay timber harvests.
• Politico quotes GOP Sen. Ted Cruz as saying, "Killing a half-billion owls seems like a crazy thing for the government to be doing." He was off by a factor of 1,000: The plan calls for trained shooters to cull 450,000 barred owls over three decades.
• The Trump administration, siding with loggers, supports the plan. "The Trump administration agrees with the Biden administration on this—how rare is that on this strategy?" said GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.