First appearance on Fox: House Republicans on the Natural Resources Committee are wary that the Biden administration’s efforts could lead to expanded protections for the gray wolf species, despite opposition from farmers and Western states.
The Republican committee, led by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas), recently challenged Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Secretary Martha Williams on the initiative the agency announced in December, “Working Landscapes and Gray Wolves.” , a national dialogue on thriving communities and culture. Lawmakers said monitoring is necessary given the serious implications of listing gray wolves.
“The facts regarding the listing status of gray wolves in the lower 48 states are clear: This species must be recalled, delisted, and management returned to each state,” said Westerman and eight other Natural Resources Republicans. wrote in a letter. Williams on Thursday. “Delisting gray wolves in the lower 48 states has traditionally attracted bipartisan support.”
“However, under the vague parameters of the Service’s proposal, the Service could begin to dictate what the management approach should be,” they added in the letter. “Perhaps more concerning is that this proposal could be used as a proxy for relisting wolves in the Northern Rockies without the support of affected states.”
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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
On Dec. 13, FWS launched the Gray Wolf Dialogue Initiative, which aims to “promote the long-term conservation of wolves and address the concerns of various communities.” The agency said the effort will include consultations involving people who live near wolf habitat and those interested in preserving the species, as well as contracting with a third-party dispute resolution firm to oversee the effort. Said to be included.
But while the agency said the effort will inform federal policy and future rulemaking regarding wolves, it did not provide additional details about what specifically it hopes to accomplish.
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“The Commission believes that the National Dialogue on Working Landscapes and Gray Wolves, Thriving Communities and Cultures will continue to expand in areas where wolves have been delisted and are currently under state management, such as the northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem. We are concerned about the potential impact this could have,” the Republicans wrote in the letter. .
House Republicans are concerned that the Biden administration’s efforts could lead to expanded protections for the gray wolf species, despite opposition from farmers and Western states. (Getty Images)
“Each state in the Northern Rockies ecosystem has a track record of success in managing healthy wolf populations, and current populations are stable and increasing slightly from year to year,” they continued.
For many years, environmental and conservation nonprofit organizations have argued through both public campaigns and litigation that the FWS maintain federal protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once a species is listed under the ESA, individuals and organizations are prohibited from removing, disturbing, hunting, or harming that species.
Conservationists say gray wolves are essential to maintaining ecosystem health by keeping prey populations in check.
A 14-year-old wolf stands on a den at the Colorado Wolf Wildlife Center in the town of Divide. (Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images)
But agricultural and livestock groups, as well as Western states, argue that gray wolves have already been recovered and that any recovery plans should be overseen by state officials who are more familiar with the needs of the wildlife within their borders. There is. Therefore, in 2020, the Trump administration declared the species fully recovered in the United States and removed it from the ESA.
“After more than 45 years as a listed species, gray wolves have met all conservation goals for recovery,” former Interior Secretary David Barnhart said in a statement at the time. “Today’s announcement simply reflects the determination that this species is neither endangered nor endangered, based on certain factors established by Congress in law.”
However, in early 2022, a federal district court reinstated ESA protections in the lower 48 states, a decision that does not affect the Northern Rockies ecosystem. Republicans on Thursday expressed concern that the FWS would pursue further protections for gray wolves, including in the area, as a result of the dialogue initiative.
