News Alert-Congressional Wolf Debate
Folks,
Big Game Forever has been getting a number of requests for updates on what has been happening in Congress with wolf delisting. H.R. 509 and S.249 continue to gain more ground. Wolf language has also been included in versions of the Continuing Resolution (CR). We continue to work diligently on H.R. 509 and S.249 while also monitoring the language on the CR.
An article appeared in a Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call entitled, "Wolf Fight Draws Howls in Montana." Roll Call is a newspaper sent to every Senator, Representative and staffer on capitol hill. In other words, wolves are a hot topic in the halls of Congress. While the article is focused on Montana, it shows the nature of the debate on wolf delisting legislation before Congress.
Quote: “Everybody agrees that wolves should be hunted now. The question is who gets to decide — [President] Barack Obama or [Montana Gov.] Brian Schweitzer,” said Iverson, Rehberg’s consultant. “It’s a livelihood issue out here for folks. They make their living off the land, and wolves are literally destroying their livelihood.”
Wolf Fight Draws Howls in Montana
By Steve Peoples <http://www.rollcall.com/reporters/5.html>
Roll Call Staff
March 14, 2011, Midnight
It doesn’t matter whether any voters live in Kootenai or Lolo — western Montana’s national forests are home to a fierce and breathing debate likely to play prominently in the state’s 2012 Senate contest.
The wolves aren’t going away.
As Washington has clashed over how many billions of dollars to cut from the federal budget, some Montanans focused on a provision tucked into the massive spending bills that would have allowed them to begin hunting gray wolves, which have been protected by the federal Endangered Species Act for more than three decades.
While some environmental groups are howling, the consensus among the state’s political elite in both parties supports the immediate hunting of gray wolves, which numbered at least 524 in Montana at the beginning of 2010, according to state data.
Sen. Jon Tester <http://www.rollcall.com/members/25811.html> (D) and his likely GOP opponent, Rep. Denny Rehberg <http://www.rollcall.com/members/2269.html> , favor wolf hunting, but their differing Congressional solutions have fueled political attacks that may intensify in the coming months....
For full article visit:
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_95/-204066-1.htmlRyan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/ryandbenson@msn.com
(801)870-5307
