Canyon’s Law

Summary#

This bill, titled "Canyon's Law," would ban the use of M-44 devices, sometimes called "cyanide bombs," on public land. It defines an M-44 device as a device designed to propel sodium cyanide when triggered by an animal and includes common names such as "M-44 ejector device" and "M-44 predator control device." The bill requires any Federal, State, or county agency that has placed these devices on public land to remove them within 30 days of the law taking effect. The bill also lists findings that sodium cyanide is a highly toxic pesticide registered as a Category One acute toxicant by the Environmental Protection Agency, that M-44s are used to kill coyotes, foxes, and wild dogs, that M-44s have caused injuries and deaths to people, pets, and nontarget wildlife, and that M-44s have been used in multiple states.

What it means for you#

• M-44 devices could no longer be prepared, placed, installed, set, deployed, or otherwise used on public land as defined in the bill.
• Public land in the bill means Federal land under the administrative jurisdiction of a public land management agency. The bill lists the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service as examples of such agencies.
• The ban and the 30-day removal requirement apply to devices on public land. The bill text does not say how it would affect devices on private land.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

Supporters point to the bill's findings that sodium cyanide is a highly toxic pesticide and that M-44 devices have injured people, killed family pets, and harmed many nontarget wildlife species, including some endangered species. The bill notes documented incidents of human and animal exposure and states the devices are not reliably effective at killing target animals.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.