Lawmakers Express Concern over Lack of Local Input
Lawmakers and environmental groups have voiced their dissatisfaction with the recent decision to remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection list. The move, announced by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on Friday, has sparked concerns about the unchecked gray wolf population and the impact on local communities.
The announcement has drawn criticism from Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, who expressed disappointment with the decision. He believes that the removal of ESA protections highlights the need for scientific reform and emphasizes the importance of local community involvement in wildlife management.
Environmental Groups Seek Relisting to Nullify State Laws
The FWS’s decision comes in response to an emergency petition filed in May 2021 by environmental groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity. These groups sought to have the gray wolf relisted under the ESA to counter state laws in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming that permit the killing of the species.
Kristine Akland, the northern Rockies program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed disappointment in the FWS’s decision, stating that it ignores the harmful laws in Montana and Idaho that promote aggressive wolf-killing practices. Akland argues that the decision undermines decades of recovery efforts for gray wolves.
Conservation Organizations and Industry Associations Take Sides
Conservation organizations, such as Defenders of Wildlife, have condemned the delisting decision, claiming that it endangers the restoration and long-term survival of gray wolf populations in suitable areas of the United States. They argue that hunting regulations endorsed by anti-wildlife politicians and policymakers in the Northern Rockies ecosystem could result in reckless killings of gray wolves.
On the other hand, industry associations like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation have supported the delisting, citing concerns about conflicts between gray wolves and livestock.
A History of Delisting and Relisting
This latest decision marks another chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding the gray wolf’s status under the ESA. In 2020, the Trump administration declared the species fully recovered in the U.S. and removed it from the ESA protection list. However, a federal district court reinstated the ESA protections in the lower 48 states in 2022, while the species remained delisted in the Northern Rockies ecosystem.
The 2011 bill passed by Congress resulted in the delisting of the gray wolf and allowed Western states to implement management plans to control the species’ population. While states like Montana argue for responsible management to prevent conflicts, critics believe that this approach poses an existential threat to gray wolves.
The debate surrounding the gray wolf’s status and the balance between conservation and local management is far from settled. The recent delisting decision has once again ignited passionate discussions among lawmakers, environmental groups, and industry associations.
