Republicans in Congress introduce bill to delist gray…

Republicans in Congress including Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin on Friday renewed their legislative effort to remove the gray wolf in Wisconsin and most other states from protections of the federal Endangered Species Act.

The legislators introduced a bill tabbed the “Pet and Livestock Protection Act” to delist the wolf and ensure the action is not subject to judicial review.

If successful, it would allow state management authority for wolves, including lethal control through hunting and trapping seasons and removal efforts by U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.

In a statement, Tiffany said the legislation would “restore management to those who understand local needs best – state wildlife officials – and ensure that out-of-state judges can no longer dictate how Wisconsin manages its wolf population.”

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The proposal was introduced by Tiffany and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) and cosponsored by 30 other House Repubicans, including Wisconsin Reps. Scott Fitzgerald, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil, Derrick Van Orden and Tony Wied.

It is identical to a bill Tiffany and Boebert introduced in the last session of Congress. Then called the “Trust the Science Act” it passed the House in April 2024 on a 209-205 vote but failed to pass the Senate, then controlled by Democrats.

The bill is backed by various hunter and gun advocacy organizations, including the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Safari Club International.

It is opposed by Animal Wellness Action. Other animal advocacy and environmental groups will likely register their opposition in the coming days; most didn’t have time Friday to review or respond to the bill.

The wolf has see-sawed between ESA protections and state management in recent decades, including delistings in 2012 during the administration of Pres. Barack Obama and 2020 under Pres. Donald Trump.

The most recent chapter of federal protection stems from a February 2022 decision by Judge Jeffrey White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. White ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to show wolf populations could be sustained in the Midwest and portions of the West without ESA protections and the agency’s “analysis relied on two core wolf populations to delist wolves nationally and failed to provide a reasonable interpretation of the ‘significant portion of its range’ standard.”

The ruling marked the fourth time since 2003 wolves in Wisconsin have been placed back under federal ESA protections. In the last decade, Wisconsin had state authority over the species from 2012-14 and January 2021 to Feb. 2022.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has appealed the decision.

In the most recent estimate, Wisconsin had 1,007 wolves in late winter 2023, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Wolf depredations of livestock have increased in Wisconsin for the last three years as non-lethal deterrents have lost their effectiveness, according to the USDA Wildlife Services. In 2024 the DNR recorded 84 cases of confirmed or probable wolf depredations, up from 69 in 2023 and 49 in 2022.

Eighty-seven animals, including domestic livestock such as beef calves and hunting dogs such as bear hounds, were killed by wolves in the incidents recorded last year, according to the report. Twenty-seven others were injured.

No wolf attack on a human has been documented in Wisconsin in modern times, according to the DNR.

Most observers feel the prospect of a wolf delisting bill passing in this session of Congress is better than in the last since Republicans now have control in the House and Senate and Republican President Donald Trump.

The GOP has spearheaded most recent efforts to delist the wolf.

However in 2023 Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) introduced S.1788, a bill intended to delist the wolf in the Great Lakes region. It was supported by a range of livestock and agricultural interests, including the Wisconsin Cattleman’s Association and Wisconsin Farmers Union, but failed to pass the Senate.

It’s not clear if Baldwin will reintroduce the bill in this session of Congress. Baldwin does plan to continue to meet with impacted stakeholders to map out next steps and is tracking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service appeal of the current ruling, according to Baldwin’s office.

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