Environment
Senators reintroduce bill to stop spread of Chronic Wasting Disease
U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Doug Jones, D-Ala., have reintroduced legislation to study Chronic Wasting Disease, a neurological disease similar to Mad Cow Disease that is devastating deer and elk populations. The “Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission in Cervidae Study Act” authorizes a special resource study to determine how CWD spreads and could be prevented in deer and elk. CWD can affect both wild and domestic herds of deer and elk in 26 states and several Canadian provinces. However, state recommendations for preventing the spread of the disease vary. When completed, the study would give state wildlife agencies and wildlife experts information to conduct targeted research on how the disease is transmitted, determine which areas are most at risk and develop consistent advice for hunters to prevent further spread. It is estimated that nearly a fifth of all deer and elk in Colorado are infected with CWD.
— Deepan Dutta