Rep. Tiffany reintroduces bill to delist gray wolf as endangered
This week, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) led 30 members of Congress in reintroducing legislation to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List, ensure that action is not subject to judicial review, and restore authority back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials to control the gray wolf population. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act passed the House of Representatives last Congress on a bipartisan basis, but was held up in the Democrat-led Senate.
Rep. Tom Tiffany said, “Scientific data, coupled with the rise in wolf attacks in Wisconsin, confirms that the gray wolf population has exceeded recovery goals. Yet, activist judges continue to disregard these facts, leaving livestock, pets, wildlife, and communities vulnerable to further harm. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act will 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.”
“Gray wolves are threatening the livelihoods of our ranchers and farmers with attacks on livestock because our agriculture community has their hands tied by out-ofdate policies and progressive legal activism. This bill enacts a common-sense solution shared by administrations of both parties and prioritizes the strength of our agriculture community over predators. I’m proud to join with Rep. Tiffany again on this important legislation for our farmers and ranchers and deliver a major victory for our country’s agriculture community,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert.
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. It also ensures this rule cannot be overturned through judicial review, preventing activist judges, like the California judge who vacated the rule in 2022, from relisting the gray wolf by judicial fiat.
In 2020, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under President Trump 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 (ESA) success story with significant population recoveries in the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes regions.
Despite clear evidence of recovery, a California judge overturned the rule in 2022, relisting the gray wolf under the ESA. Since then, wolf attacks in Wisconsin have increased for the third consecutive year. There have been numerous gray wolf attacks in Wisconsin’s Seventh District over the last few years.
'We need to return wolf management to the states where it belongs and ensure that these decisions are based on science, not politics. Congressman Tiffany’s bill will prevent activist judges who’ve never seen a wolf, let alone lived among them from interfering and instead empower local experts to manage our wildlife responsibly,” said Luke Hilgemann, Executive Director IOTR.
