Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act
The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025 would limit federal restrictions on the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land and water. Specifically, it prevents the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from prohibiting the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands and waters that are open to hunting or fishing, and from issuing regulations setting lead levels for such use, with certain exceptions. The intent appears to be to preserve access for hunters and anglers to federal lands and waters by limiting broad federal lead-restriction rules. The bill allows a narrowly targeted exception: a prohibition or lead-regulation could apply to a specific unit only if a decline in wildlife in that unit is primarily caused by lead, based on field data, and the prohibition/regulation is consistent with state law, state fish and wildlife policy, or is approved by the state fish and wildlife department. In such cases, the agency would need to publish a Federal Register notice explaining how these requirements are met. The act also references existing federal regulations (50 C.F.R. 20.21 and 20.108) as a framework for these provisions.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition scope: The bill generally prohibits the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries from banning the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands or waters under their jurisdiction that are open to hunting or fishing, and from regulating lead levels for such use.
- 2Narrow exception: A prohibition or lead-level regulation can be limited to a specific unit if field data show wildlife declines are primarily due to lead, and the action is consistent with state law/policy or approved by the state fish and wildlife department.
- 3Federal Register requirement: Any unit-specific prohibition or regulation meeting the exception must be explained in a Federal Register notice, detailing how the requirements are satisfied.
- 4Agencies involved: The Interior Secretary (through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Director of the Bureau of Land Management) and the Agriculture Secretary (through the Chief of the Forest Service) are the relevant officials.
- 5Reference to existing rules: The act notes exceptions “as provided in section 20.21 or 20.108 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations,” linking to current regulatory contexts.