US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has filed a final rule with the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB). This filing has no material changes from the proposed rule that would add 9 constricting snakes to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. This would make import or interstate transport of the 9 constrictors a felony with heavy fines and potential jail time. This is the final stage of the rule making process. OMB's role is to review the proposed rule to ensure that the costs to businesses do not outweigh the purported benefits. In spite of USARK's information to the contrary, and the Small Business Administration's findings that FWS did not do its due diligence in determining economic impact, we remain unsure of OMB's position. As many as a million American citizens could be negatively impacted if this rule is enacted. It would create a whole new class of criminal out of law abiding citizens engaged in what is now a perfectly legal trade.

There is also likely to be an oversight hearing at the US House Natural Resources Committee because of the potential to destroy a viable $1.4 billion cottage industry; and the flagrant disregard by FWS for mandated process and procedure under the Administrative Procedures Act and Information Quality Act. USARK has uncovered evidence that appears to point to an intentional effort to manufacture science to support a policy directive based on staff preference at FWS. This preference by FWS could mean the loss of thousands of jobs and the destruction of viable sector of our nations economy in a time of hardship.

Members of the Reptile Nation should prepare themselves for the “Big Fight”. This process should take about 45 days to unfold. USARK calls upon the OMB, the US House of Representatives and the US Senate to look closely at how FWS has circumvented due process to create policy based on staff preference. USARK believes that these actions by a government agency, upon close examination, will be found to be arbitrary, capricious and unlawful.

USARK needs the Reptile Nation to pull together as never before. This is our chance to overcome unfair regulation. Please stay tuned to USARK alerts and forward this communique to you circle of influence.

You know they are starting to get on my nerves with all these lies and making up info to take our reptiles away.They need to think about ways to save the USA from going to the gutter in bankruptcy instead of causing people to lose everything.

Just how they are, rather wasting money on stupid ass laws, work on making the US dollar worth something again.

i live in a dumbass city in canada that doesnt allow anything exotic, u cant even keep native species unless they are injured and even then once its healed you have to release it. this is not the norm here its just a stupid bylaw in my city but with what you guys got going on down there, us canadians will follow suit. i swear your government runs ours, whenever you guys get a bad law passed our lemming government follows right behind, happened a few years ago with medical marijuana (which now you guys have and most places we still dont), and its gonna happen again, when americas government decides all the snakes that scare them are illegal, canada will follow right behind even though most "problem species" wouldnt even survive our winters. good luck fighting that one boys we are pulling for ya up here.
id like to close with a qoute from a very wise, weird little man, who apparently loves clocks
"fight the power" - flava flave