Bill to delist gray wolf gains momentum in U.S. House

U.S. Reps. Tom Tiffany’s (R-Wis.) and Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) legislation to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List and ensure that action is not subject to judicial review passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act will restore authority back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials to control the gray wolf population. H.R. 845 will now head to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

“The damage to pets, livestock, and wildlife from an unmanaged wolf population can no longer be ignored. The gray wolf has exceeded federal and state recovery goals, with over 1,000 wolves now thriving in Wisconsin. It’s time to take the next step, delist them, and let the people closest to the gray wolf manage their population levels,” Tiffany said.

“I’m very excited to see PALPA take another step towards being signed into law, which will be a huge victory for our ranchers, farmers, and landowners in Colorado and across America,” Boebert said. “The science has been very clear on this topic for years: gray wolves are fully recovered and their comeback should be touted as a success story. Now it’s time we encourage states to set their own guidelines and allow ranchers, farmers, and landowners to protect their livelihoods. I look forward to voting for this bill on the House floor and ultimately getting it to President Trump for his signature.”

In 2020, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the gray wolf in the lower 48 United States through a process that included the best science and data available. At over 6,000 wolves at the time of delisting, the gray wolf has been the latest Endangered Species Act success story with significant population recoveries in the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes regions.

However, a California judge unilaterally relisted the gray wolf under the ESA last year. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the 2020 Department of the Interior final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 United States.

“The Endangered Species Act was never meant to be a Hotel California where species check in but never leave. Congresswoman Boebert and Congressman Tiffany’s Pet and Livestock Protection Act will allow the recovered gray wolf to check out and return management to the states who know the species best. I thank Ms. Boebert and Mr. Tiffany for their work on this important issue,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman.

“Hunter Nation salutes the House Natural Resources Committee for voting the ‘Pet and Livestock Protection Act’ out of committee, and thanks Congressman Tom Tiffany and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert for their unwavering support of hunters and our hunting lifestyle,” said Keith Mark, President/Founder of Hunter Nation. “The delisting of the gray wolf is a policy change we have been fighting for since our founding. The recovery of the gray wolf is an incredible conservation success story that should be celebrated. This legislation allows each state to manage the now recovered wolf population just as they manage all other wildlife within the state. The best part of this legislation is the provision that prevents judicial review of the legislative action which will preclude anti-hunting groups from using activist judges to interfere with sound, science-based conservation.”

Thirty-two members of Congress cosponsored Tiffany’s and Boebert’s legislation, including the entire Wisconsin Republican Congressional Delegation.

Supporters of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act include major agricultural, hunting, and wildlife organizations such as the American Farm Bureau, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, and various state-level farm and livestock associations.