Colorado Gov. Jared Polis hints at veto of bill that could delay gray wolf reintroduction
'There shouldn’t be a lot of suspense on that one,' Polis told a reporter asking about Senate Bill 23-256
The Denver Post
Gary Kramer/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP
Expect Colorado’s wildlife officials to begin releasing gray wolves back into forests along the Western Slope by the end of the year now that Gov. Jared Polis seems ready to clear any potential delays.
Polis suggested that he would veto Senate Bill 23-256 after noting that Colorado Department of Natural Resources officials, and other state representatives, opposed the measure and warned that it could delay the plan to begin releasing wolves by December.
“There shouldn’t be a lot of suspense on that one,” Polis told reporters Tuesday morning, noting that his office is still analyzing the measure, which legislators passed to his desk earlier this month.
Since voters narrowly – and controversially – approved the reintroduction effort outlined in the 2020 measure Proposition 114, state wildlife officials have been developing their plan to bring the predators back and expected to begin capturing and releasing them by December. But Senate Bill 23-256, proposed late in the legislative session, would hinge that reintroduction effort on a specific type of federal authorization that would allow state officials to manage (capture, relocate or even kill) wolves.
That federal process – formerly called the 10(j) rule – is underway but not yet finished. And late last month Dan Gibbs, executive director of Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources, warned that if the state measure passes, it could delay the federal process and therefore the reintroduction.
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Western Slope lawmakers argued that any delay would likely be short-lived and a fair price to pay to ensure that state wildlife officials have the tools they need to handle the predators.
Read more via The Denver Post.
