119th Congress (2025-2026)

S 2179

Canyon’s Law

Introduced

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Official source

Chamber

Senate

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Bill overview

This bill, known as Canyon’s Law, prohibits the use of M-44 devices, also called cyanide bombs, on public land. The bill highlights concerns about the dangers of these devices, which use sodium cyanide to kill animals like coyotes, and the potential harm they pose to people, pets, and wildlife. It mandates the removal of existing M-44 devices from public land and defines key terms related to the devices and affected areas.

Key provisions

Prohibits the preparation, placement, installation, setting, deployment, or use of M-44 devices on public land.
Requires the removal of existing M-44 devices from public land within 30 days of the bill’s enactment.
Defines an M-44 device as a device designed to propel sodium cyanide when triggered by an animal.
Lists the public land management agencies covered by the bill (National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service).
States that sodium cyanide is a highly toxic pesticide.
References previous incidents of harm caused by M-44 devices, including injuries to children and deaths of pets and people.
Notes that M-44 devices have a low success rate in targeting animals and harm a wide range of nontarget species.
Highlights the continued use of M-44 devices despite concerns about their impact on endangered species.

Who is affected

Federal Land Management Agencies
State and County Agencies
Landowners using public land

Positions across the country

No public positions recorded for this legislation.

Arguments in favor

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Arguments opposed

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Legislative history

2025-06-26Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

2025-06-26

Introduced in Senate

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Jun 26, 2025XMLView source

119th CONGRESS — 1st Session

S. 2179

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

A BILL

To prohibit the use of M–44 devices, commonly known as cyanide bombs, on public land, and for other purposes.

1.Short title

This Act may be cited as

Canyon’s Law

2.Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)Sodium cyanide is the highly toxic pesticide active ingredient used in M–44 devices, also known as cyanide bombs, and is used to kill coyotes, foxes, and wild dogs suspected of preying on livestock and poultry.

(2)Sodium cyanide is registered for restricted use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.) as a Category One acute toxicant, the most hazardous Environmental Protection Agency classification available, due to the harm it poses to people and the environment.

(3)Poisoning by sodium cyanide leads to central nervous system depression, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, paralysis, and blindness.

(4)The Environmental Protection Agency authorizes the use of M–44 devices nationwide, and in recent years, M–44s were used in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

(5)In 2017, an M–44 device exposed an Idaho child to a sublethal dose of sodium cyanide with subsequent short-term and long-term medical complications. Two Wyoming children were also exposed to the poison from another M–44 device. Three family dogs died in these two separate incidents. More than 50 family dogs have been documented as killed by M–44 devices since 1990. The full count is estimated to be significantly higher.

(6)The indiscriminate M–44 device commonly harms nontarget wildlife and people; at least 42 people have accidentally triggered a cyanide bomb causing exposure to cyanide gas and injuries since 1984. A Utah man, who was poisoned by an M–44 device in 2003 and permanently disabled, died in 2018 with cyanide poisoning from exposure to an M–44 device listed as a contributing cause of death on his death certificate.

(7)M–44 devices kill targeted animals only 53 percent of the time. Thousands of nontarget species of animals have been killed by M–44s, including bald eagles, golden eagles, gray wolves, black bears, grizzly bears, bobcats, fishers, and family dogs.

(8)Despite the United States Fish and Wildlife Service determining in 1993 that M–44 devices could kill endangered species like the California Condor, the use of the M–44 continues in areas where endangered species are found and continues to result in the deaths of endangered species.

3.Use of M–44 devices on public land prohibited

(a)In generalPreparing, placing, installing, setting, deploying, or otherwise using an M–44 device on public land is prohibited.

(b)RemovalNot later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, any Federal, State, or county agency that has prepared, placed, installed, set, or deployed an M–44 device on public land shall remove each such M–44 device from public land.

(c)Definitions

In this Act:

(1)M–44 device

(A)In general

The term M–44 device means a device designed to propel sodium cyanide when triggered by an animal.

(B)Common namesThe term M–44 device includes any device that may be commonly known as an M–44 ejector device or an M–44 predator control device.

(2)Public land

The term public land means any Federal land under the administrative jurisdiction of a public land management agency.

(3)Public land management agency

The term public land management agency means each of, or a combination of, the following:

(A)

The National Park Service.

(B)

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

(C)

The Bureau of Land Management.

(D)

The Bureau of Reclamation.

(E)

The Forest Service.

S 2179

Bill overview

Key provisions

Who is affected

Sponsors

Primary sponsor

Cosponsors

Positions across the country

Arguments in favor

Arguments opposed

Bill text

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Positions across the country