A bill favored by hunters and ranchers to remove federal protections for the gray wolf, delisting it from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed the U.S. House Thursday.
If approved by the Senate and President Donald Trump, the “Pet and Livestock Protection Act” would return management of the species to state wildlife officials and prevent legal challenges seeking to overturn the delisting.
The legislation, sponsored by Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to reissue the November 2020 delisting rule, which was vacated by a federal court in 2022.
“The gray wolf has recovered, and Wisconsin should be allowed to responsibly manage a population that has exceeded recovery goals without interference from out-of-state judges,” Tiffany said in a statement….