Lawmakers on wolves: It’s an emergency!
That hastily called meeting of the House Ways & Means Committee today? It was to introduce two bills: One on wind turbine siting restrictions (see item below), and one declaring a wolf disaster. Here's what AP reporter John Miller reports on the wolf emergency bill:
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Wolf-fearing lawmakers want Idaho to declare a disaster emergency that could include enlisting local law enforcement officers to help eradicate packs of the predators. Rep. Judy Boyle from west-central Idaho, one of Idaho's most active wolf opponents, told a hastily organized meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee that residents feel physically and psychologically threatened.
No wolves have been documented attacking humans, but the predators kill dozens or hundreds of sheep, cattle, hunting dogs and wild game including deer and elk annually. Boyle wants a new law giving the governor authority to declare a disaster emergency that allows rapid steps to be taken against wolves until the species is delisted, or the emergency no longer exists. There's currently a proposal in Washington, D.C. to lift federal protections from wolves.