[E]fforts to restrict the sale of ivory inside Vermont will not succeed in the Legislature this year because the House and Senate were unable to resolve the differences in their two bills.
The bills were intended to help take away the value of ivory from elephants and rhinos being illegally killed for their tusks, particularly in Africa.
Sen. Philip Baruth, D-Chittenden, said a conference committee was scrapped after activists said the Senate-passed version would be worse than no law. And the measure passed by the House, Baruth said, would never get through the Senate, so there was no point in meeting.
“Ultimately, (activists’) response was pretty clear that they’d rather have no bill” than what the Senate legislation contained, said Baruth, the effort’s biggest supporter on the Senate Economic Development Committee. And the Senate vote was so close that it left no hope of getting the body to embrace the House’s stricter version, Baruth said. The Senate bill passed on a voice vote but seemed to have as many if not more votes against it than in favor.
Supporters were disappointed no compromise would be hashed out.
“I am shocked at the Senate’s apparent desire not to negotiate our differences, placing monetary value and entrenched methodology differences clearly above the elephant’s and rhino’s impending extinction,” said Rep. Jim McCullough, D-Williston, an ardent supporter.
Rep. David Deen, D-Westminster, noted the enormity of the poaching problem by pointing out the Kenyan government last weekend burned 105 tons of confiscated ivory. Most of the ivory is sold for statues, jewelry and medicinal uses, largely in China.
“All we wanted was a small sacrifice from Vermonters to do their part to protect the elephants,” Deen said.
The House passed a measure overwhelmingly that would have prohibited the sale of ivory between two people inside Vermont, with an exception for items with 200 grams of ivory or less.
The Senate bill would have allowed Vermonters who register their items, no matter what size, to sell them at any time.
“Despite the failure to enact a ban on ivory sales, we are pleased that the idea of creating an ivory registry, a concept that has failed when tried before, was rejected by the House,” said Barry Londeree, who is with the Humane Society.
“We remain committed to passing legislation that will ensure Vermont does its part to halt the cruel poaching that is threatening the existence of these magnificent creatures,” Londeree said.