In this 2019 legislative session, House Joint Memorial 6 (HJM 6), Wildlife Crossings, has passed through the Transportation & Defense Committee for a third reading. It specifically relates to the omission of local citizen and government involvement in the decision for wildlife overpasses in the Targhee Pass transportation project. HJM 6 is a memorial that supports a fully informed local citizenry with their voices heard when wildlife overpasses are considered in transportation projects throughout Idaho, at the earliest possible time.
Statement of Purpose:
“This Joint Memorial establishes an ever-present need for local input as it relates to Highway Safety, Highway Improvements, and Human/Wildlife Interactions. It also expresses the need for all Stakeholders to be involved in the NEPA process as it relates to projects relying on public funding.”
Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) was, and still is, an intrusive group in the Targhee Pass project, having close involvement with the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and Idaho Fish & Game (IDFG), and successfully influencing the ITD decision to include wildlife overpasses in the Targhee Pass transportation project, without any local citizen involvement in that decision. This Y2Y wildlife overpass objective is being pursued in other parts of Idaho, especially northern Idaho.
It has been discovered that Y2Y has brought in their members and counterpart organizations again to contact the legislature in opposition to HJM 6. As done in the Targhee Pass Environmental Assessment (EA) comment periods, Y2Y contacted individuals from other states and Y2Y-Canada to support their wildlife overpass objectives by submitting comments during the EA comment period, it appears this tactic is currently being used with our legislators to oppose HJM 6. Y2Y opposes HJM 6 because they don’t want local citizens, or local governments, to have involvement or control over what happens in their community.
Please take a few seconds and contact House representatives and tell them you support HJM 6, and pass this along to others.
