USDA Using Outdated Data to Kill Coyotes in Idaho, Lawsuit Says

The Department of Agriculture is illegally using environmental assessments that are at least a decade old to kill coyotes and other wildlife in Idaho, environmental groups say in a lawsuit filed in Idaho federal court Thursday.

Wildlife Services, which is overseen by the department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is relying on the assessments in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires agencies to take a “hard look” at a project’s effects on the environment, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho.

New information shows the killing may have ...