SALEM — A bill that would uphold
the state’s contentious decision last year to remove the gray wolf from
its endangered species list gained traction at the Legislature on
Tuesday.
Ratifying the decision in state law could
stop a lawsuit by conservationists. Removing wolf protections has drawn
thousands of comments from powerful farming and ranching groups who
support it and environmentalists who oppose it.
Delisting is not an automatic greenlight
for killing wolves, Republican Rep. Sal Esquivel said before voting for
House Bill 4040.
“This doesn’t mean we’re going to go out
and hunt wolves into extinction again,” Esquivel said during a hearing
of the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources hearing.
The measure cleared the committee and heads to the House floor.
Delisting allows the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife to consider hunting in the future as one of several
tools under its wolf management plan. Hunting is not part of the
discussion now.
The management plan says the species can
lose state protections if certain benchmarks are met that prove
extinction is no longer a substantial threat. The commission overseeing
the wildlife department voted to take the gray wolf off the state’s
endangered species list in November, following a recommendation by state
biologists.
That led three conservationist groups to
sue. They want an impartial judicial review of the commission’s
decision, arguing it failed to follow the best available science or get
an independent examination.
If the legislation is approved, state law
would uphold the commission’s decision and negate the request for a
review, said Nick Cady, legal director at Eugene-based Cascadia
Wildlands, one of the groups that sued.
“It’s inappropriate because they’re
depriving the public of its right for judicial review,” Cady said. “It’s
kind of undemocratic.”
Lawmakers tried to ease the tension through
another bill approved in the same hearing Tuesday. It would raise fines
for illegally killing various wildlife species, including the gray
wolf.
No comments:
Post a Comment