JFAC nixes extra travel money for Office of Species Conservation

An effort by Sen. Lee Heider and Rep. Jim Patrick, both Twin Falls Republicans, to insert an extra $25,000 in state general funds into the budget for the Office of Species Conservation for next year for travel related to meetings about heading off potential listing of sage grouse as endangered has been defeated in JFAC on a 13-6 vote. Opponents noted that the agency didn’t request the money, and has a large amount of federal funds for the sage grouse effort already in its budget. Patrick said, “It is a lot of travel, but there’s a lot of sage grouse, and if we can keep ‘em from being listed on the endangered species list, it’s well worth it.” Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, said, “They didn’t indicate the need for the travel money. I think the $25,000 is probably an overstatement of the need.”