U.S. House moves to delist wolves from Endangered Species Act

[Beringia]

HSUS Press Release, November 16, 2018

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Republican Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin to delist most gray wolves in the lower 48 contiguous states from the protections afforded to them under the Endangered Species Act, and barring the public from seeking redress through our federal court system. The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund are urging the Senate to reject the legislation.

“This legislation is just the latest in a string of over 50 previous congressional attempts to undermine federal wolf protections. For a handful of legislators to not only remove federal protections for iconic wolves, but also undermine citizens’ rights to hold their government accountable is unacceptable,” said Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “We urge the Senate to reject this bill, and listen to the majority of Americans who want to keep wolves protected."

This bill—H.R. 6784, the innocuously named “Manage our Wolves Act—encourages indefensible cruelty by trophy hunters and trappers seeking bragging rights and the opportunity to pose over a wolf corpse for a photo or to display animal body parts. Wolves are highly sentient beings who enjoy membership in extended families. They require cooperation to feed and secure pack members, particularly their pups and yearlings, who cannot survive if their parents and other family members are killed.

“It’s a travesty that a House bill introduced in September with just four cosponsors secures floor time to put these imperiled wolves in the crosshairs of trophy hunters and trappers,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “The American people have demanded that the Fish and Wildlife Service make a decision based upon scientific evidence that is open to a public comment process. Instead, 196 members of Congress passed a bill to deny ESA protections to gray wolves based upon political motivations.”

The latest cattle and sheep death (PDF) loss data from the U. S. Department of Agriculture show that in the eight states where gray wolves live, losses of sheep and cattle from wolves amounted to just 0.04 percent of their livestock inventories (PDF). Ten times more livestock die from disease, birthing problems, weather events and theft than from all predators* combined, and scientific studies have shown that indiscriminate killing of wolves and other large carnivores actually increases livestock losses.

https://www.humanesociety.org/news/us-house-moves-delist-wolves-endangered-species-act

ayes democrat
Sanford Bishop (GA)
Jim Cooper (TN)
Jim Costa (CA)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Vicente Gonzalez (TX)
Gene Green (TX)
Ron Kind (WI)
Collin Peterson (MN)
Filemon Vela (TX)

noes republican
Justin Amash (MI)
Mike Bishop (MI)
Vern Buchanan (FL)
Ryan Costello (PA)
Carlos Curbelo (FL)
Dan Donovan (NY)
Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)
John Katko (NY)
Leonard Lance (NJ)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ)
Mark Sanford (SC)
Smith (NJ)

democrats who didn't vote
Julia Brownley (CA)
Mike Capuano (MA)
Joseph Crowley (NY)
Keith Ellison (MN)
Tulsi Gabbard (HI)
Joshua Gottheimer (NJ)
Luis Gutiérrez (IL)
Alcee Hastings (FL)
Pramila Jayapal (WA)
Stephen Lynch (MA)
Rick Nolan (MN)
Bill Pascrell (NJ)
Scott Peters (CA)
Jared Polis (CO)
Bobby Rush (IL)
Eric Swalwell (CA)
Niki Tsongas (MA)
Tim Walz (MN)

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll420.xml

[2naSalit]

1. And not one of them

uderstands what the hell they are doing. This undoes over twenty years of my, and many other's work to help stop climate change and all things anti-biospheric health.

[Beringia]

2. Gray wolf protections on track to survive the current Congress

full article
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article222257765.html?fbclid=IwAR0Xhmu8kR-Txcwb4K30WFEEvUglII743aL54gchDFMttmjgSbcTvJ8YE0M

WASHINGTON

The gray wolf has been in danger in recent weeks of losing the federal protection that for decades has kept it from being hunted.

But the congressional ardor to end the protection — and make it easier to trap or shoot the wolves — is fading fast.

House Republicans last month passed legislation to remove gray wolves in 48 states from the list of species shielded by the Endangered Species Act, which could make it easier to kill them.

The removal of the act’s federal protections would leave laws regulating wolf killing up to the states. It would lift restrictions on logging, grazing and construction activities in wolf habitats that were previously prohibited by the act or required consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, according to Fish and Wildlife spokesman Gavin Shire, who added that states could maintain their own restrictions.

But the House’s initiative has been stuck in the Senate, and with only days remaining in this year’s congressional session, key backers are not optimistic that bill will go anywhere.

Bills not enacted by Congress before its new session begins next month expire. That means the Manage Our Wolves Act would have to pass the House again in 2019 — a tougher task, as environmentally-friendly Democrats will run the House of Representatives.