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| OR-25 poses for his selfie |
Governor Brown (D) signed a bill to impede legal challenges to a decision to de-list wolves from endangered status under state law taken in November by the state wildlife commission. Wildlife advocates will gather in Salem to protest the legislation today. HB 4040 was introduced by Republican legislators and was passed at the behest of the livestock industry. The new law has been tagged with an "emergency" label so it will go into effect immediately and before a lawsuit brought by conservation groups to reverse the delisting is decided by the courts. Advocates say the legislation sidesteps the constitutional separation of powers by hindering judicial review of administrative actions.
Wolves have returned to Oregon in this century after being exterminated by humans.
{08.06.16, Not Welcomed in Oregon} The decision in November to strip grey wolves of their protection under the state's endangered species law is based on flawed science according to a group of scientists who say their criticisms submitted during the comment period were ignored by the commission. The commission also took action without submitting de-listing it to an outside peer-review panel as required under state law. If you snooze, you loose in Oregoon.
