“ THE POTENTIAL FOR BACKROOM DEALS WHERE EXTREME ORGANIZATIONS SUE THE GOVERNMENT TO FORCE RESTRICTIONS ON SPORTSMEN AND -WOMEN AND ARE LATER PAID MILLIONS IN SHADOWY PAYOUTS IS ASTOUNDING .”
— EVAN HEUSINKVELD , PRESIDENT AND CEO , SPORTSMEN ’ S ALLIANCE
president and CEO of the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance . “ Now that Haaland has made it all the harder to ‘ follow the money ,’ organizations like the Center for Biological Diversity will use this destructive ‘ sueand-settle ’ strategy even more , making anti-hunting organizations rich with taxpayer dollars while the government negotiates away our ability to hunt , fish and trap .”
According to its own 2020 financial disclosures , the Center for Biological Diversity received nearly $ 3 million in
“ legal returns and settlements ” income , which was double the $ 1.4 million it received in 2019 .
Even the most trustworthy citizen would have to question the timing of Haaland ’ s actions , which come as U . S . Fish and Wildlife is proposing a rule change for the use of lead ammunition and fishing gear on national wildlife refuges ( see page 6 )— a key tenet and potential settlement point for the lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity .
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland ’ s decision to snub accountability for payments in settling lawsuits spells danger for hunters .
COURTESY OF DEPTARTMENT OF INTERIOR government is once again onerous , hard to understand and difficult to navigate for many Americans .
“ The potential for backroom deals where extreme organizations sue the government to force restrictions on sportsmen and -women and are later paid millions in shadowy payouts is astounding ,” said Evan Heusinkveld ,
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