Many have NOT sent their letters to President Obama and Congress Opposing the PYTHON BAN! If you care anything about this industry and hobby you will take action NOW! It is rumored thatInterior Secretary Salazar will be grandstanding down in the Everglades next week in order to try and gain momentum for his beleaguered Constrictor Rule. HSUS and Defenders of Wildlife have spentcountless thousands of dollars to lobby on behalf of the rule. USARK does not have the money to buy the kind of influence that these powerful special interests do. What we do have is Science, TheTruth, and thousands of passionate members. A recent poll by the Palm Beach Post indicated that 86% of respondents were against the Python Ban. We need an unprecedented groundswell of grass rootsletter writing. Obama needs to understand that there are millions of us representing a $1.4 billion industry with more than $103 million at stake with the Constrictor Rule. SEND YOUR LETTERSNOW!!!
US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has a proposed rule being considered by the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB). This is the final stage of the rule makingprocess. This rule, if enacted, would ban the import and interstate transport of nine constricting snakes; Burmese python, Northern & Southern African pythons, Reticulated python, all fourAnacondas, and Boa constrictor. This rule has been called the "Constrictor Rule". All of these constrictors would be added to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. If this were to happen morethan 1 million American citizens could be subject to felony prosecution under the Lacey Act. It is the job of OMB to weigh the purported benefits of the rule against the economic impacts. It is alsotheir duty to assure the rule has been given due process under the Administrative Procedures Act, Information Quality Act and all pertinent Executive Orders. USARK has created a clear public recordthat FWS has failed at every level to make their case for this rule. According to emails obtained by USARK it appears that staff at FWS colluded with staff at the US Geological Survey (USGS) tomanufacture "science" to support this rule making after the decision had already been made to pursue a Lacey Act listing. Further, FWS grossly underestimated the economic impact. USGS has justifiedtheir flawed "science" by saying they were not required to adhere to information quality standards for science used to support the rule because the rule did not meet the standard for a major rulemaking ($100 million). An economic assessment of the Modern Reptile Industry commissioned by USARK, and done by Georgetown Economic Services, has since debunked USGS claims by asserting that the rulecould have impact in excess of $103 million. USARK believes the actions of FWS and USGS in regards to the Constrictor Rule are arbitrary, capricious and potentially unlawful.
Please send the letter below to President Obama and your Senators and Congressmen to let them know you are aware of the actions of FWS and the negative impact on you, your family andbusiness. Just follow the simple instructions.
Do it now and share with all your friends, family, social networks, forums and email lists! This is your chance to make a difference and help USARK set a positive precedent for ourindustry.
Click Here to send a letter to President Obama: united-states-association-of-reptile-keepers.rallycongress.com/5799/no-on-fws-python-rule-bad-american-small-business-families-alread
