Backdoor Talks Give Wildlife Bill Backers Reason for Optimism

House and Senate lawmakers are working behind the scenes to revive popular bipartisan legislation to conserve wildlife, and steer it away from prior funding battles.

House Republicans are drafting a new version of the “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act” to appease spending concerns that have only hardened this year, as Republicans focus on cutting government funding. Senators have released their own bipartisan bill (S. 1149), and are eyeing paths to negotiate with the House while moving forward with a floor vote as early as this fall.

The wildlife act would set aside billions of dollars for plant and animal ...