WASHINGTON D.C.-- The Pet and Livestock Protection Act introduced by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) and Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) today received a key hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.
The bill delists the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List, prioritizes the safety and success of America's agriculture community, removes the ability of progressive, activist judges to get in the way of science and allows states to set their own rules and regulations for managing their gray wolf population.
“The science is very clear on this issue: gray wolves should no longer be on the Endangered Species List,” said Congresswoman Boebert. "We can no longer put the livestock of ranchers and farmers in harm's way by protecting a species that has fully recovered and does not recognize state boundaries. Administrations on both sides of the aisle have agreed this change needs to happen and I look forward to implementing this legislation into law so activist, progressive judges will no longer be able to put their ideology over the rights of ranchers and farmers across Colorado and America."
“We've all witnessed the slaughter of pets, livestock, and deer herds across rural America as a result of an unmanaged gray wolf population. The science is clear; the gray wolf has recovered. Rep. Boebert and I introduced the Pet and Livestock Protection Act to delist the gray wolf, restore state management, and protect the livelihoods of farmers and pet owners. Wolf management belongs in the hands of states, not distant D.C. bureaucrats,” said Congressman Tiffany.
"The Pet and Livestock Protection Act would formalize what the Department of the Interior has repeatedly stated under multiple presidential administrations—that gray wolves are recovered, have exceeded the established delisting criteria, and that states should regain management authority as originally intended under the ESA," said Dr. Nathan Roberts, Professor of Conservation and Wildlife Management at College of the Ozarks and testifying witness at today's hearing. "The bills discussed today will promote responsible wildlife management and stewardship, helping to restore balance and ensure effective conservation practices."
Congresswoman Boebert's entire opening statement from today's hearing can be viewed HERE.
Additional Reading:
9News: Wolf from Great Lakes dies in Elbert County, Colorado
USA Today: Colorado Gray Wolf killed after attacking 5 sheep in Wyoming
The Gazette: Wolves from Canada Arrive in Colorado, Destination Unknown
Colorado Sun: Ranchers hit Colorado with $580,000 in wolf depredation claims after gray wolf attacks on livestock
Background:
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. In Colorado, foreign gray wolves have been imported in from Canada despite strong pushback from local stakeholders and confusion about how to fund wolf depredation claims.
31 Members of Congress cosponsored the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, including: Reps. Nick Begich (AK-At-Large), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Jeff Crank (CO-05), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Troy Downing (MT-02), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Gabe Evans (CO-08), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Harriet Hagemann (WY-At-Large), Andy Harris (MD-01), Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Richard Hudson (NC-09), Mike Kennedy (UT-03), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Max Miller (OH-07), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Troy Nehls (TX-22), Andy Ogles (TN-05), Scott Perry (PA-10), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), and Tony Wied (WI-08).
Stakeholders that support the Pet and Livestock Protection Act include: American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Public Lands Council (PLC), National Rifle Association (NRA), Safari Club International (SCI), Hunter Nation, International Order of T. Roosevelt (IOTR), Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Blacktail Deer Foundation, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Conservation Alliance, Colorado Wool Growers, New Mexico Cattle Growers, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association, Coalition of Arizona/New Mexico Counties, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, and Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association.
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