Canyon’s Law would ban M-44 “cyanide bombs” on federal public lands

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GovTrack Insider
Published in
4 min readSep 9, 2021

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Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR4)

The bill’s supporters say the devices spew cyanide and unhappiness.

Context

14-year-old Canyon Mansfield and his golden lab Kasey were walking in his hometown of Pocatello, Idaho when they came across a strange-looking device on the ground. Canyon went to pick it up, when orange gas emerged and entered his left eye, giving him massive headaches for years to come. Kasey the dog didn’t survive.

M-44 devices are used by the federal government for predator control on public lands. Animals — most frequently coyotes and foxes — step, pull, or bite on the spring-activated device, which releases sodium cyanide and kills the animal within one to five minutes. The devices have earned the nickname “cyanide bombs.”

The Donald Trump administration temporarily ceased their use for a few months in 2019, in response to public backlash. Then they reauthorized them again with more safety measures, such as increased buffer zones and enhanced warning signs.

What the bill does

That same year, Oregon banned the use of cyanide bombs on a state level. Now an Oregon congressman wants to do the same thing nationally.

Canyon’s Law would ban M-44 devices (“cyanide bombs”) on all public lands, and give federal, state, and local governments a maximum of 30 days to remove all M-44 devices currently on public lands.

It was introduced in the House on August 6 as H.R. 4951, by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR4).

What supporters say

Supporters argue the devices are too dangerous, with too much potential for innocent deaths or injuries to pets or people, to continue using.

“The deadly toxin sodium cyanide — used in M-44 devices — has led to countless deaths of family pets, innocent animals, and injury of humans as well,” Rep. DeFazio said in a press release. “There’s no reason USDA Wildlife Services should be using such dangerous chemicals in the name of so-called predator control, and certainly not on public lands, which belong to all of us.”

“There is no safe place or way to use M-44s, as young children, pets, and wild animals do not understand warning signs. And there is virtually no place in the great outdoors that people and animals do not go,” Predator Defense Executive Director Brooks Fahy wrote in a letter to Oregon legislators when the state was considering banning the devices. “And it is only a matter of time before an M-44 kills a child.”

What opponents say

Opponents counter that when used responsibly and sparingly, M-44 devices can play a critical role in preserving natural ecosystems.

“We rely on a variety of tools and techniques to meet our public service mission in the safest and most effective manner possible,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs mission area Greg Ibach said in a 2019 press release. “The M-44 plays an important role in achieving that mission by protecting livestock and threatened and endangered species and helping to stop the spread of disease.”

The government will “ensure that there are safe and effective tools for farmers and ranchers to protect livestock,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Alexandra Dunn said in the same press release. “Through our discussions, we identified new restrictions that will raise awareness and create additional buffers around where M-44s are placed, which will reduce the potential for unintended impacts on humans, pets, and other non-target animals.”

Odds of passage

Rep. DaFazio introduced a 2019 version in the prior Congress, which attracted 22 bipartisan cosponsors: 20 Democrats and two Republicans. It never received a committee vote.

The current version has attracted two cosponsors, both Democrats. It’s unclear why there are so many fewer cosponsors this time, nor why the two prior Republican cosponsors — Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL16) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL1) — have not yet signed on.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) also introduced a Senate version in 2019, which attracted four Democratic cosponsors but never received a vote in the then-Republican controlled chamber. It does not appear that a Senate version has yet been introduced in the current Congress.

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This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.

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