At issue is a proposed rule from the Interior Department that would designate the Burmese python and eight other snake species as “injurious,” which would make it illegal to import them or transport them across state lines.
The ban has been a pet cause of Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who called for Interior to take action based on estimates that 100,000 or more pythons are dwelling in the Everglades, where scientists say they feast on herons, egrets and other native species.
The issue exploded into a media sensation six years ago after a photographer captured an image of a decapitated python that had burst after swallowing a 6-foot alligator, and some scientists have warned that the snakes might eventually spread to much of the rest of the U.S. — with potentially suitable climate for some species existing as far north as coastal Delaware or Oregon.
But in a report released Wednesday, Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee denounced the proposed rule as part of the Obama administration’s “regulatory tsunami.” They said the snake ban could “devastate a small but thriving sector of the economy.”
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