PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed a bill that would have set up a reimbursement fund for ranchers who lose cattle to wolves.
Brewer vetoed House Bill 2699 on Wednesday.
The bill would have required state officials to seek federal reimbursement for livestock owners whose animals were killed by a Mexican wolf, an endangered animal that is being reintroduced in Arizona and New Mexico through a federal recovery program. The bill also would have required Arizona to cease participation in the program if the federal government did not agree to the fund.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service already reimburses livestock owners for the death or injury to animals caused by gray wolves. It paid out $14,300 for the deaths of 19 livestock in 2012, the latest available figure.
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