Committee approves Black Vulture Relief Act to expand livestock protections; opponents say permits already exist

The House Natural Resources Committee voted to report HR 2462, the Black Vulture Relief Act, to the House after debating whether new statutory changes are necessary to address black vulture depredation on livestock. Supporters said the bill gives farmers and ranchers more timely tools to defend livestock; opponents said the Fish and Wildlife Service’s existing permit program, now codified in the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act, already provides needed authority.

Representative Rob Whitman and the bill sponsors, Representatives John Rose and Darren So, framed the measure as relief for livestock producers. Committee proponents said black vultures increasingly attack newborn calves in flocks and that federal permit limits—commonly a 10‑bird cap per permit in some states—do not match field…