Oregon bill to keep wolf off endangered list advances

SALEM – A bill that would uphold Oregon’s contentious decision last year to remove the gray wolf from its endangered species list gained traction in the state Legislature on Tuesday.

Ratifying the decision in state law could stop a lawsuit by conservationists. Removing wolf protections has drawn thousands of comments from powerful farming and ranching groups who support it and environmentalists who oppose it in a long-running clash in Oregon’s political realm.

Delisting is not an automatic green light for killing wolves, Republican Rep. Sal Esquivel said before voting for House Bill 4040.

“This doesn’t mean we’re going to go out and hunt wolves into extinction again,” Esquivel said during a hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The measure cleared the committee and now heads to the House floor.