BILLINGS, Mont. - As livestock officials scramble to deal with recent outbreaks of brucellosis near Yellowstone National Park, a proposed interstate pact to manage and eventually eliminate the disease remains stalled.

Since late 2006, intermittent negotiations among federal officials and the governors of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have failed to reach consensus on the best way to prevent future outbreaks, according to those involved in the talks.

In particular, the parties have disagreed over how to address brucellosis in the region's wildlife. Also, at least two states - Montana and Idaho - want more flexibility to reduce the risks and consequences of transmissions, given the difficulty of trying to eliminate brucellosis altogether.

Since the agreement was first proposed, three cattle herds have been infected with the disease, which causes pregnant cows to abort their calves.

"Right now, we're just stuck in the mud on this," Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said. "We've got to try to move things along."

The recent infections have prompted tighter restrictions on cattle being exported for sale from Montana, and similar restrictions could be in store for Wyoming.

Bison and elk in and around Yellowstone are considered the last reservoir of the disease. Federal officials earlier this year declared it eradicated elsewhere in the nation.

To prevent contact with cattle, bison migrating from the park in search of food have been routinely captured and killed, under a 2000 agreement between Montana and federal agencies. Despite mounting evidence that elk and not bison were to blame for recent transmissions, states and the federal government have been unable to coordinate a response.

The strongest objections to the interstate pact have come from Wyoming.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal has been reluctant to sign onto a deal that could invite federal meddling in state wildlife management. Freudenthal's deputy chief of staff, Ryan Lance, suggested the proposed agreement could force the state to relinquish control over its wildlife.

Of particular concern to the state are its elk feedgrounds, which have been criticized by some as fostering the spread of disease within herds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees federal animal disease programs, has only regulatory control over the feedgrounds. Management falls to the state, which has suggested the disease situation would be worse if elk were forced to forage elsewhere. In addition, the state views the feedgrounds as important to its hunting industry.

"We're very interested in making sure we know the means to the end," Lance said. "If we sign on blindly, we think we could be putting our hunters, cattle producers and others into a bad position."

A spokesman for Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter referred questions to state veterinarian Bill Barton. Barton had not seen the latest copy of the interstate pact, but said it would need to include risk management and not just disease elimination.

"As long as you have the disease, you're not going to eliminate the risk. But there are things we can do in the interim to protect our livestock," Barton said.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman, Cindy Ragin, said her agency had received the latest draft of the agreement but had not decided whether to sign. Ragin confirmed federal officials signed an earlier version of the document - one focused on eliminating the disease and lacking the risk management language sought by the states.

In Montana, Schweitzer has signed the revised agreement - despite initially telling The Associated Press that he had not.

In a July 2 interview, Schweitzer told the AP: "We haven't signed it."

"It's not something we've agreed to right now, and it's something we're going to wait until we have some provisions in there that protect the wildlife in Montana and the livestock industry," Schweitzer said at the time.

Yet, Schweitzer had signed the agreement less than a week before, on June 27. News of Schweitzer's signature came this week, when the governor released a letter sent to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. In the letter, Schweitzer was critical of Wyoming's feedgrounds and questioned the wisdom of having signed the agreement.

In an interview this week, Schweitzer said his earlier comments about not signing the agreement were truthful.

"I consider something signed when I release it," Schweitzer said. "I often am in a position where I'm going to be gone and I tell my staff I will sign something and to keep it in a drawer until I call. … Until I release it, I'm not acknowledging anything."

Currently, Schweitzer is the only one to have signed the revised agreement.