Should gray wolves be removed from the list of endangered species?
H.R. 764 seeks to remove the gray wolf from the list of endangered and threatened species. While a reason is not explicitly stated in the bill, this is likely in response to a string of wolf attacks in Western Colorado.
Sponsor: Rep. Lauren Boebert (Republican, Colorado, District 3)
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Opponents say
• "Though people nearly hunted wolves to extinction in the lower 48 states, northern gray wolves have returned to the Great Lakes, the northern Rockies, California and the Pacific Northwest. But just as the U.S. was making progress for gray wolves, protections were stripped. In 2011, Congress ended protections in the northern Rockies, and in 2020 the Trump administration stripped wolves of their critical ESA protections across the country. Anti-wolf legislators and extremists have been on the offensive ever since." Source: Defenders of Wildlife
Proponents say
• "The gray wolf is fully recovered, should remain delisted in the lower 48 states, and states should determine how to manage their local gray wolf populations. For too long, farmers and ranchers have been powerless to defend their livestock from gray wolf attacks. The Trust the Science Act empowers states and puts people ahead of violent predators. We need to actually analyze the data objectively instead of letting Endangered Species Act listing decisions be made by leftist activists" Source: Rep. Lauren Boebert (Republican, Colorado, District 3)
• "It’s a scientific fact that the gray wolf has recovered well past its recovery goal. Saying otherwise undermines the purpose of the Endangered Species Act. This is a true recovery success story, and it's past time to give states the reins to control their wolf populations." Source: Rep. Tom Tiffany (Republican, Wisconsin, District 7)
- Legislation to Protect Farmers and Ranchers and Delist the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species List (Press Release)
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife Says GPS Locations of Male, Female Gray Wolves Indicate Possible Breeding Activity (CBS News)
- Wildlife Officials Confirm Fourth Gray Wolf Livestock Attack in Grand County (Denver Post)
- Rocky Mountain Gray Wolves Won’t Get Endangered Species Protections (The Hill)
- One of Colorado’s Reintroduced Wolves is Dead, Another is Likely Expecting Pups (The Colorado Sun)
- Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Largest Donors (OpenSecrets)
