Remember a few weeks ago when a bipartisan group of lawmakers hailed their wolf introduction plan as a protection for rural Coloradans and livestock owners?
Well, the Democrats have already changed their minds, because Gov. Polis told them to.
This is what Democrat state Sen. Dylan Roberts of Avon proclaimed then, as reported by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on … ahem … April Fools’ Day:
“These bills are a commitment to protecting those who will have to live daily with the impacts of wolves on the ground in Colorado by giving them the tools and resources they deserve to effectively manage those impacts,” Roberts said.
And yet all that changed Friday when Roberts told the Senate Appropriations Committee those key provisions have been gutted.
Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, told the appropriations committee the amendments proposed would remove the sections of the bill that have generated the most controversy and opposition from the governor, although he didn’t specifically mention the governor’s stance.
That’s the part of the bill that said the state had to obtain the 10(j) rule before reintroduction, the language around legal challenges and a requirement that reintroduction would not happen without an environmental impact statement from the federal government.
That’s right, environmentalists have wrecked untold damage on the lives of western families and ranchers for decades by weaponizing federal regulations like the notorious environmental impact statement, but now Polis and the Dems are suddenly exempt when it suits their politics.
Such brazenness is just astounding. But hey, some people are more equal than others under one-party rule.
Also, by not having to obtain the jargony 10(j) rule before reintroducing the deadly animals, that means no lethal taking of the creatures that are stalking and killing livestock and dogs, and the feds will manage the program from Washington, D.C. instead of the state.
Finally, the rule will go into effect despite any legal challenges from Coloradans impacted by this absurd reintroduction.
Shame on Dillon, and shame on any Republican that goes along with the gutting of this bill to please Polis and his animal activist husband.