House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act

The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before populations have recovered. The delisting bill, H.R. 845, introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and misleadingly named The Pet and Livestock Protection Act, preys on communities’ love for pets and livestock to curry public support. If signed into law, this politically engineered bill would also eliminate the ability to challenge the delisting in court.

“This bill is deceptively named and if enacted will deny gray wolves the protections they need to recover and undermine the Endangered Species Act,” said Robert Dewey, vice president of government relations at Defenders of Wildlife. “Congress is wrongly attempting to substitute politics for science and judicial review, vital cornerstones of the ESA’s incredible success.”

In 2020 during the first Trump administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule completely stripping gray wolves in the Lower 48 of ESA protections, alleging that the species had successfully recovered, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting that decision. In response, Defenders and allies went to court to fight the decision. In February 2022, a judge sided with Defenders and ESA protections for the gray wolf were restored.

In contrast to what the bill’s title suggests, more livestock are lost to weather than to wolves each year. Non-lethal deterrent tools have a proven track record of keeping wolves away from livestock and pets when implemented correctly. Defenders works with livestock producers throughout regions that are home to wolves to implement a wide variety of non-lethal deterrent tools to protect livestock and pets.

Defenders is urging Americans to call their members of Congress and ask them to vote against this bill.

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