The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee passed a bill that would delist gray wolves in the Lower 48. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act, supported by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and 19 other organizations, restores management authority to state wildlife agencies.
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) sponsored the legislation that will not change any statutes. Instead, it implements a rule issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2020.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted wolves in the Lower 48 states twice in the last decade and a half – during the Obama administration in 2011 and the Trump administration in 2020,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “Both times, judges intervened to invalidate the process despite agreement among scientists, biologists and professional wildlife managers that wolf populations are stable and growing and should return to state management.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) introduced a companion bill in the Senate. It will require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
“State wildlife agencies sustainably manage thousands of species without federal interference, and several states in the Northern Rockies are successfully managing wolves because Congress took action to protect their delisting from activist judges,” said Henning. “We thank Representatives Tiffany and Boebert for sponsoring this legislation.”
The House bill now goes to the full floor to receive a vote. A similar bill passed in 2024.
(Photo credit: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)