Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado
By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Late last year, five wolves were airlifted from Oregon to Colorado under a plan voters narrowly approved—but few knew one of them came from a pack with a history of livestock attacks.
Fewer still knew the move may have violated federal law.
At the center of the controversy is a growing belief that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction bypassed environmental law and public transparency.
And a federal lawsuit now threatens to unravel the entire plan.
The lawsuit that could reset the rules
The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, is one of the country’s cornerstone environmental laws — meant to ensure that federal actions don’t proceed without full environmental review and public input.
But when...