SALT LAKE CITY, March 10 (UPI) -- A $300,000 Utah budget line item that would finance efforts to prevent the reintroduction of gray wolves to the state is headed for final votes, officials said.
The funding is being pushed even though federal officials say no wolf-reintroduction program is being proposed for Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Sunday.
On Friday, Democratic lawmakers tried fruitlessly to strike the money from the spending plan. The measure, which the Tribune said was little-scrutinized, was adopted by the Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee.
"It seems like a waste. It's another challenge to federal authority to protect wildlife. The problem isn't even here," said Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, the Senate minority leader.
