The dire wolf situation in the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest got catastrophically worse Tuesday when Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) placed a rider on the must-pass federal budget bill stripping protections for endangered gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Utah and setting the stage for near-term delisting in Wyoming. Making matters worse, the rider also strips citizens of their right to challenge the delisting in court, while preserving anti-wolf lawsuits brought by Wyoming and others.
Congress has never previously overridden the Endangered Species Act to remove a species from the endangered list. The rider could easily have been stopped by Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the White House, but instead they used it as a political bargaining chip in a last-minute deal designed to help Tester get re-elected in 2012. Tester, who is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the upcoming elections, has cynically decided to engage in a wolf-hating contest with his Republican opponent in a bid for conservative votes.
To head off the impending legislation, the Center for Biological Diversity and nine other groups negotiated a settlement with the Department of the Interior to keep protection for wolves in Washington, Oregon and Utah; strike down the Bush-era policy used to justify elimination of protections in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming; preserve the right of citizens to challenge all future listing decisions in court; and establish an independent scientific panel to determine the long-term recovery needs of northern Rockies wolves. Unfortunately, the court rejected the settlement due to opposition by four conservation groups, giving us no leverage to rally senators against Tester and Reid. The budget bill could be passed as early as today -- anti-wolf rider included.
please sign the letter urging Obama to veto the bill...its the last hope for the wolves
Budget Deal Sacrifices Wolves, Knifes Endangered Species Act
Like
Congress has never previously overridden the Endangered Species Act to remove a species from the endangered list. The rider could easily have been stopped by Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the White House, but instead they used it as a political bargaining chip in a last-minute deal designed to help Tester get re-elected in 2012. Tester, who is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the upcoming elections, has cynically decided to engage in a wolf-hating contest with his Republican opponent in a bid for conservative votes.
To head off the impending legislation, the Center for Biological Diversity and nine other groups negotiated a settlement with the Department of the Interior to keep protection for wolves in Washington, Oregon and Utah; strike down the Bush-era policy used to justify elimination of protections in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming; preserve the right of citizens to challenge all future listing decisions in court; and establish an independent scientific panel to determine the long-term recovery needs of northern Rockies wolves. Unfortunately, the court rejected the settlement due to opposition by four conservation groups, giving us no leverage to rally senators against Tester and Reid. The budget bill could be passed as early as today -- anti-wolf rider included.
please sign the letter urging Obama to veto the bill...its the last hope for the wolves
Budget Deal Sacrifices Wolves, Knifes Endangered Species Act
Like
» Despatches - Undercover Designer Dogs
» Sulin Puppies 8 weeks
» Sulin Pups 5 Weeks Today
» More Sulin Pic's of pups
» HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE DIRTY DOZEN
» Sulin Puppies Now Four Weeks
» Are there Birthdays in Heaven?
» Hee! hee ! It's Crimbo !