To save the northern west’s spotted owls ( Strix occidentalis caurina ) from extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill up to 450,000 barred owls (S trix Varia ) across California, Oregon, and Washington. The controversial conservation strategy, announced last year, has sparked an ethical debate that recently played out on the Senate floor.

On October 29, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) attempted to block the proposal—which could cost taxpayers an estimated $1.35 billion over 30 years—by bringing the matter to a vote with a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act. The legislation failed with 25 votes to 72.

“The barred owls are not hurting anybody. They’re just doing what nature teaches them to do,” Kennedy said before the Senate prior to the vote, flank

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