Oregon Gov. Kate Brown flushes wolves down the toilet!

October 23, 2015
Wildlife officials preparing to decide whether gray wolves should lose Endangered Species Act protections in Oregon have been asked to withhold judgment until independent scientists weigh in. Learn more...

Oregon governor, Kate Brown refused to veto HB 4040 removing Canis lupus (wolves) from state list of endangered species in spite of experts pointing out flaws in removing state protections, including the fact that the documentation used for delisting was not peer reviewed. In response to the assertion that the documentation was based on previously submitted information that was peer reviewed, Oregon Wild director cites a state statute requiring all delisting decisions to be based on "documented and verifiable scientific information." A separate department rule defines verifiable as "information reviewed by a scientific peer review panel of outside experts who do not otherwise have a vested interest in the process."

"We request that the Commission conduct this review and adjust the decisionmaking timeline as necessary," Oregon Wild head Sean Stevens wrote.

Public Records Raise Questions About Oregon Governor’s Involvement in Anti-Wolf Bill
Emails and text messages reveal Kate Brown’s staff were deeply involved in passage of controversial HB 4040.
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Rep. Peter DeFazio Criticizes Gov. Kate Brown Over Wolf Issue
In an unusual sign of tension between two of Oregon’s most powerful Democratic officeholders, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio wrote a blistering letter to Gov. Kate Brown saying she appeared to mislead him on a controversial environmental issue.

DeFazio is a key congressional champion of recovering wolf populations that were once hunted to the point of extinction. In his June 9 letter, he criticized Brown and her staff for the way they handled a bill in the Oregon Legislature that could weaken protections for wolves.

DeFazio told Brown that a batch of newly disclosed emails from her aides “contradicts statements you made to me about your involvement with this legislation.”
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So Gov. Kate Brown not only supported wolf delisting for the state of Oregon...she also supported making it practically impossible to get judicial review of that action!

House Bill 4040 supports a decision made by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in November and all but dooms a lawsuit filed by environmental groups to challenge that decision on its scientific merits.

"HB 4040, legislation written to shield the ODFW from judicial review and public accountability, directly undermines the Governor’s pledge of good governance," the environmental group Oregon Wild wrote in a statement.

"ODFW broke the law when it removed state endangered species protections from gray wolves. Special interests, apparently recognizing the fact that the agency had overstepped its authority, successfully lobbied the Oregon Legislature to retroactively change the rules and undermine the ability of citizens to challenge the decisions of their government." Learn more...
Read Congressman DeFazio's letter to Governor Brown.

Wait! That's not even the most outrageous part of Brown's decision. Have a look at who helped write the bill!

"The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, which helped write the bill and championed it, praised the decision."
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Court of Appeals has decided to reconsider a lawsuit against the state that was dismissed months ago over its decision last year to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.

It means environmentalists will have another chance to argue for an independent, judicial review of the delisting decision - as well as challenge the validity of House Bill 4040, one of the Legislature's most controversial new laws this year that ultimately led to the case's dismissal in late April. Learn more...

Contact Gov. Brown to express your support for Oregon's wolves!
Governor Kate Brown
State Capitol Building
900 Court Street NE, 160
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 378-4582
Contact Form - allows people from all states to comment.