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Committee weighs changes to indirect livestock-loss claims tied to wolf predation amid cost and implementation concerns
Summary
Senate Bill 5,171 would require indirect livestock-loss claims tied to wolf harassment to use a pre‑wolf baseline rather than a recent three‑year running average; the Department of Fish and Wildlife and conservation groups warned of documentation and fiscal risks, while ranchers urged the change as necessary for producers living with wolves.
Elena Becker, committee staff, summarized proposed Senate Bill 5,171 for the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee on Oct. 12. The bill would change how indirect livestock-loss claims related to wolves are calculated: instead of comparing current-year losses to a three-year running average, claims would be compared to a claimant's average annual loss "before the reestablishment of wolf populations in Washington," the bill text proposes.
Becker told the committee that the Department of Fish and Wildlife currently assesses indirect claims against the preceding three-year running average and that the bill would also allow an indirect claim to include the value of a carcass when cause of death is indeterminate but occurred in an area occupied by wolves. Staff noted an estimated technical implementation cost of $1.2 million for the 2025–27 biennium.
Sponsor Sen. Shelley Short (7th District)…
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