U.S. House Holds Hearing on Legislation to Delist Gray Wolf from Federal Protections

There is good news on the wildlife conservation front as the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee recently held its initial legislative hearing on a bill seeking to remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the long since recovered gray wolf. Introduced in early February as H.R. 845—the Pet and Livestock Protection Act—the NRA-backed move aims to restore a 2020 Department of the Interior final rule to delist the species so its management can be turned over to state wildlife agencies where wolves reside using the best available science.

As tracked by this NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum hunting news website, passage of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO-04) and co-led by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07), would be a major victory for hunter-conservationists. Many will recall how the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) was quick to applaud President Trump’s first administration for recognizing the triumphant return of gray wolf populations to levels that no longer warranted federal ESA protections. Even the Biden administration said President Trump was right to delist the gray wolf, upholding the decision until receiving pressure from animal rights extremists who filed lawsuits to stop the delisting and tied up the process in court. In 2022, a federal judge in California sided with extremists, tying the hands of the federal government as the gray wolf remained under ESA protections. The NRA and partners such as Safari Club International remain entrenched in federal lawsuits upholding the science and giving hunters and those who live amongst wolves a voice.

The truth is that after more than four decades of recovery efforts, the gray wolf far exceeds the scientific goals for the species’ recovery, with more than 6,000 wolves now present in the Lower 48. This is why Rep. Boebert also tried to move along legislation to delist last year in the form of H.R. 764, the Trust the Science Act, which passed the House but was not acted on in the Senate. Now hunter-conservationists have renewed hope that ESA resources ultimately can be diverted to species truly in need of protections.

In closing, NRA-ILA has always held that state agencies where gray wolves reside are much better equipped to manage the species than legislators in Washington, D.C. As the NRA’s millions of members are aware, NRA-ILA will continue to advocate for the importance of hunting and trapping in wildlife conservation management plans both in Congress and in the federal courts.

Please check back with this NRA website and with NRAILA.org for updates on H.R. 845 as we await what comes next.