Thompson: Chronic wasting disease bill – now through House – would support research, deer management

A bill intended to combat chronic wasting disease (CWD) nationwide was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

Introduced by U.S. Rep. Glenn "G.T." Thompson (R-Centre) and Wisconsin Democrat Ron Kind, on Oct.19, H.R. 5608, "The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act" received bipartisan support and was crafted to curb the contagious neurological disease that has been confirmed in deer, elk, and moose herds in 27 states.

"The U.S. House of Representatives (on Wednesday) recognized just how important it is to better understand the diagnosis, transmission and spread of Chronic Wasting Disease among deer populations, in Pennsylvania and across the country," Thompson said in a release. "There is certainly urgent need for research and management efforts, and I thank my colleagues who supported this bill along with the many stakeholders who share the common goal of eradicating this disease."

With the entire south-central portion of Pennsylvania labeled a disease management area (DMA) by the state Game Commission, the funding would be a welcome boost in efforts to mitigate one of the greatest threats to the cervid population the country has ever faced. With whitetail deer holding the No. 1 spot as America's favorite game animal, implications from CWD has not only threatened entire ecosystems nationwide, but outdoor economies that are supported by healthy wildlife populations. Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation in deer hunters (Texas is first), with an estimated 700,000 participants.

The bill's passing prompted accolades from such organizations as the National Wildlife Foundation, National Deer Association, Boone and Crockett Club, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, North American Deer Farmers Association and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

First identified in captive deer in Colorado in 1967, CWD eventually spread to wild deer by 1981. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the presence of the disease in almost the entire state of Wyoming, in about half of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Montana, and large swaths of the Dakotas, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. It was first detected here in 2012.

Thompson, an avid deer hunter, said he was happy the bill passed with such overwhelming support.

"I was very pleased," he said. "This was something I've worked on for many years."

A ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, Thompson added: "We worked hard to bring key stakeholders to the table. From sportsmen groups to deer-farm owners, it really was a diverse group."

The bill will need 60 votes from the Senate to move along.

"I hope the Senate will recognize the potential crisis here. The economic risk here is significant for states," said Thompson.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation in 2016 alone, deer hunting contributed $20.9 billion into the country's GDP, created 305,400 jobs and accounted for $3.1 billion in federal tax revenues, and $1.9 billion in state and local tax revenues.

If the bill passes the Senate and is then signed by the President, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture would administer $70 million annually from fiscal years 2022 thru 2028.

"Those investments would be used for research and management of Chronic Wasting Diseases, so the money will be evenly split between those two purposes," he explained.

Thompson said there are five key priorities to each purpose. With research, the act would hope to somehow discover CWD in live cervids, produce more accurate testing methods, discover genetic resistance trends, help craft harvest management practices, and find contributing factors that lead to the spread of the disease.

With management, Thompson said the goals are to address the areas with the highest incidents of the disease first, then administer funds to areas that have demonstrated the greatest financial commitment to managing, monitoring, surveying and researching.

"So areas that have stepped up to take this on, we want to reward good behavior," he said.

Also, efforts to develop comprehensive policies and programs, focusing on areas showing greatest risks to initial occurrence, and to areas that are responding to new outbreaks.

Funds would be distributed to Pennsylvania though the state's Game Commission and Dept. of Agriculture.

With CWD prominent in 27 states, Thompson is optimistic the Senate will move H.R. 5608.

"Fifty-four out of the 100 senators would be touched by this," Thompson said. "And CWD is not static. It is dynamic, and so if you are in a state that's adjacent to one that has incidents of CWD, I would be concerned with it crossing the border. Obviously, these animals don't honor or recognize boundaries."

He added: "With the practical implications, I would hope that we could find 60 senators that would see the importance of this investment."

John Rucosky is a photographer for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5055. Follow him on Twitter @JohnRucosky.