Two farmers and two counties in eastern North Carolina are suing the federal government, seeking to nullify endangered species rules that provided for the reintroduction of the red wolf into the area a dozen years ago. As the wolf population grows, farmers say the rules keep them from protecting their livestock against wolf attacks. The feds are justifying the regulations in part by citing the federal government’s constitutional right to control interstate commerce, noting that the wolves’ presence in the area has generated interstate tourism. A federal court ruled in favor of the feds in December, and now the case is before an appeals court.
