Update: Senate Appropriations Committee Votes down Udall Amendment on June 16

The Senate Appropriations Committee made a vote against the wolf and other species today,  Thursday, June 16. The Senate Committee voted down Senator Udall's amendment to remove the anti-Endangered Species Act riders from the senate appropriations bill. The mark up of FY 2017 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill is done and now both the US House and the US Senate appropriations bills have many bad Endangered Species Act (ESA) riders including a rider to delist the Great Lakes and Wyoming wolves. The language is the same that was introduced last year that directs the Department of Interior to reissue a new rule for these two wolf populations back to their unprotected status prior to the judge's decision of December 2014 that restored federal protections to these wolves. The bill rider also states that there will be no judicial review of this reversal of the judge's decision by congress.

All republican Senate Appropriations Committee members voted against Senator Udall's amendment and all democrats voted for.

Republican members - Senators Cochran, McConnell, Shelby, Alexander, Collins, Murkowski, Graham, Kirk, Blunt, Moran, Hoeven, Boozman, Moore Capito, Cassidy, Lankford, Daines

Democrats who voted for the Udall amendment (all of them) are - Mikulski, Leahy, Murray, Feinstein, Durbin, Reed, Tester, Udall, Shaheen, Merkley, Coons, Schatz, Baldwin, Murphy.

You can make a difference by asking your lawmakers to  keep the Great Lakes and Wyoming wolves protected and vote against bills with anti-Endangered species act riders. See the summary of the senate bill and amendments here.

There are other bad riders in both appropriations bills for other species including the Sage-Grouse and the Lessor Prairie Chicken and alarming attacks on clean water!

Howling For Wolves will keep you informed when and if these bad bills come to the floor in the House or Senate for votes.