Westslope Cutthroat Denied Protection

I'm still learning about the various efforts that affect conservation, access, fish habitat, etc. This one jumped out at me...

From the American Wildlands website there's this article. Apparently the appeal to have the Western Slope Cutthroat listed as an endangered species has failed yet again.

The publication of the original decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is available here.

As far as I can tell, there's more to this matter than meets the eye. My guess is that if the species WAS listed, a lot of major industries (timber, oil, gas, etc.) that currently get away with polluting rivers that host this species would be hauled into court and forced to recognize that their hurting one of the few native trout species in the Rocky Mountain region. Given our current energy situation and presiding party in Washington, I doubt this matter will ever be judged in favor of the trout and those that represent them.