Washington Should Butt Out of Wyoming’s Gray Wolf Issue (Sen. John Barrasso)

The issue of the Gray Wolves needs to be under Wyoming control, not Washington’s. This is a Wyoming concern that requires a Wyoming solution. It does not require interference from Washington.

A group of liberal congressmen recently wrote to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne asking for the gray wolf to be kept on the endangered list. As a Senator from Wyoming, a state that is actually affected by the gray wolf problem, I urge that the removal of the gray wolf from the endangered list be allowed to proceed.

We cannot lose sight of the real goal behind the Endangered Species Act: recovery and delisting. This is an issue that directly affects the lives of Wyoming ranchers, energy producers and sportsmen. It has a direct impact on Wyoming livestock and wildlife, not New Jersey, not Oregon and certainly not Washington’s. These congressmen don’t even live in our time zone. They have no concept of the damage gray wolves do.

The state of Wyoming has worked in good faith with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to address this issue, and it is my belief Wyoming is in the best position to determine how this animal should be managed.

The federal government should move forward with plans to de-list the wolves. The congressmen should concern themselves with their own states’ issues and let Wyoming manage our wolves.