Western senators back bill to kill wolf protectionsOn Thursday, U.S. senators from Wyoming, Idaho and Utah announced a bill they say will nip further gray wolf Endangered Species Act protections in the bud, thus relinquishing the disputed canine's management to states. However, passing the bill may be a Herculean task.

Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo., Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, both R-Idaho, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced the bill, “Returning Wolf Management to the States Act (S. 3919).”

The bill applies to all gray wolves in the lower 48 states. The legislation would prevent lawsuits from putting gray wolves back on the endangered species list, said Emily Lawrimore, communications director for Barrasso, in an e-mail Friday.

Gray wolves have been listed since 1972. In April 2009, wolves were removed from federal protections in the northern Rocky Mountains, except in Wyoming, where the canines remained listed due to the inclusion of a predator zone covering most of the state in Wyoming's wolf management plan. However, by August this year, wolves were back on the endangered list.

“Since then (1972), wolf populations have not only recovered, but grown to such considerable sizes that they are threatening wildlife and livestock,” said the release.

Once an animal is removed from the endangered species list by an act of Congress, it precludes further litigation, said Elly Pickett, deputy press secretary to Enzi, on Friday.

“It kind of trumps everything else,” Pickett said.

If the bill passes, in order to challenge the bill in court, litigators would have to prove the bill is unconstitutional, said Pickett.

“And it's not,” Pickett added.

However, lawmakers are split along party lines over which states should be allowed to hunt wolves.

A measure introduced by Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, Montana Democrats, would leave wolves endangered in Wyoming, which has a shoot-on-sight law for wolves across most of the state.

“If Wyoming doesn't want to put forward a management plan that works, that's Wyoming's fault,” Baucus said. Tester said Wyoming “hasn't wanted to play” and suggested that Montana could not wait for its southern neighbor to change its mind given ongoing livestock losses from wolf attacks.

Enzi believes the state of Wyoming can manage wolves effectively and maintain the canine's population objectives, thus preventing its return to endangered status, Pickett said.

Introducing the bill now has nothing to do with the mid-term election just around the corner. Enzi wants to get the wolf issue resolved, Pickett said.

None of the senators introducing the bill are up for election this year, Lawrimore said.

However, with the mid-terms a month away, this may not be the best time of year to pass the bill, Pickett said.

“Senator Barrasso will continue to fight for this bill,” Lawrimore said.

“I'd favor delisting by Congress,” said state Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody, who has been at the forefront of Wyoming wolf management.

“It's nice, but with the makeup of Congress, I doubt it would pass this year,” Childers added.

Natural Resources Defense Council Endangered Species Director Andrew Wetzler said he does not believe the bill will pass, but he added, “It needs to be taken very seriously.”

Enzi said, “Recovery numbers and science show that wolves no longer need to be on the endangered species list, but frivolous lawsuits and broken federal promises keep them listed.”

“Wyoming has met our recovery goals and honored our commitments to recover the wolf,” Barrasso said. “It's time for Washington to now hold up their end of the bargain and delist the wolf.”

Wetzler said the Natural Resources Defense Council Endangered Species will fight the bill's passage.

“The American people won't stand for it,” Wetzler said.