The House of Representatives will be holding a last-ditch vote to undermine the Endangered Species Act by stripping protections from most gray wolves across the contiguous 48 states and barring Americans from going to court to challenge the actions. H.R. 6784 – known as the “Manage our Wolves Act” – is scheduled for a floor vote tomorrow. Over 50 groups representing millions of Americans submitted a letter vehemently opposing the bill and the dangerous precedent it sets to allow Congress – not scientists and conservation experts – to make scientific decisions for wildlife and wild lands while cutting out the input of the American people.
Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:
“With their final days in office, the outgoing House of Representatives has decided to try and strip protections for endangered wolves. Rather than using their time to tackle important issues like funding the federal government, the House is using its remaining time to continue its attack on the Endangered Species Act, remove scientists from decisions about an individual species, and block our right to challenge these attacks in the courts.
“The results of the midterm elections were clear: Americans do not support the actions of the current House of Representatives. The House is disregarding the American public’s strong support for recovering imperiled wolf populations and condemning imperiled wildlife in the process.”
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
