8/1/2002 1175

CONGRESSMAN SKEEN'S LAST HURRAH

Retiring Representative Joe Skeen (R-NM), a public lands sheep rancher, beneficiary of federal predator killing services, and chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Committee, has again attached language to this year's proposed Interior budget intended to trip up the Mexican wolf recovery program. Skeen's language is more in the nature of a harangue than command, voicing suspicion of last year's blue ribbon panel of wolf scientists and their recommendations, urging another review of the wolf program, but only requiring that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "consult" with his committee (ie. not banning it from action) if it intends to "deviate from the original wolf reintroduction plan" -- ie. reform the program along the lines the scientists urged. Nevertheless, Fish and Wildlife has failed to begin those reforms under similar pressure from Skeen in the past, and agency officials might interpret even this vague language as a mandate to further ignore the scientists.