U.S. sued over lead ammunition in West Virginia wildlife reserve

(Reuters) - Three conservation groups on Monday sued the Biden administration over its decision last year not to restrict the use of fishing tackle and lead ammunition at a national wildlife refuge in West Virginia.

Citing risks to bald eagles and other vulnerable species, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Friends of Blackwater and the Sierra Club filed their lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The groups claimed the agency violated the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act when it withdrew a plan that would have phased out certain hunting and fishing gear in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The agency's decision in September 2022 followed objections to the plan from the state of West Virginia, which said the restrictions would be too costly for local hunters.

The Fish and Wildlife agency “abdicated its statutory duty to safeguard wildlife” and granted an “unlawful state veto" over federal conservation policy, the groups alleged in their suit.

The agency declined to comment on Monday. A representative of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, which opposed the phase-out but was not named as a defendant, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Canaan Valley refuge, located in the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia, is home to 580 species of plants and 288 different animals, according to the federal agency.

The lawsuit claims waterfowl and other birds ingest lead ammunition and tackle while eating pebbles to help with digestion, and bald eagles and vultures can ingest lead while scavenging animal remains left behind by hunters.

The federal agency, which has determined that lead ammunition and tackle pose a threat to human health and wildlife, proposed a plan to phase out lead ammunition at ten refuges in June 2022, including at the Canaan Valley refuge.

The case is National Wildlife Refuge Association v. Haaland, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:23-cv-02203.