WASHINGTON – Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz is defending America’s ranchers when it comes HR 764, the “Trust the Science Act”.
Under HR 764, the Gray Wolf would be removed from the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states.
Bentz gave a speech on the house floor during a recent discussion on the topic. The congressman said he didn’t think he had encountered such ignorance regarding the nature of a wolf, adding, “a wolf is not a pet dog. It’s not some schnauzer or golden retriever, or a dash hound. It is the truth of the matter, a natural born killer.”
He said he believes those on the other side of the aisle have no idea what ranchers have to go through when they have to get up in the middle of the night to protect their livelihood from wolves. Bentz specifically referred to Highway 395 which bisects his district down the middle, he says on one side a wolf kills an animal it’s protected and on the other side it’s not. He calls this situation hardly ideal especially for a single-ownership ranch that falls on both sides of the highway.
Bentz also went on to ask the question, “how many wolves are enough?” saying there are tens of thousands in Canada, Minnesota, and Alaska collectively. He says in Oregon there are about 250, a number that he says is adequate for survival under the Endangered Species Act.
He argues that wolves need to be removed from the Endangered Species List so that humans “have some means of controlling an apex predator.”
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