 from the Endangered Species List, arguing that the population has fully recovered and should now be managed by the state.){kind=link}
(Wyoming) – This week, U.S. Senator John Barrasso reinforced his advocacy for Wyoming to regain authority over its grizzly bear population. Speaking on the Senate floor, Barrasso urged the removal of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) from the Endangered Species List, arguing that the population has fully recovered and should now be managed by the state.
In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a comprehensive proposal to revise the Endangered Species Act listing for GYE grizzly bears. The initiative’s stated goal is to clarify the geographic areas where grizzly bears receive federal protection and to provide greater management flexibility to address human-bear conflicts.
“This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting,” said Martha Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director in a January press release. “And the proposed changes… will provide management agencies and landowners more tools and flexibility to deal with human/bear conflicts, an essential part of grizzly bear recovery.”
In his remarks on the Senate floor, Barrasso criticized federal oversight of the GYE grizzly bear, stating that “unelected, unaccountable, heavy-handed federal bureaucrats” have taken power away from local and state governments. He emphasized that Wyoming has spent over $50 million on grizzly bear recovery efforts and has a strong track record of science-based management.
Barrasso argued that the continued federal protection of grizzlies is based on politics rather than science, noting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service itself acknowledged in 2022 that substantial evidence supports local control. He blamed “partisan liberal judges” and the Biden administration for blocking Wyoming’s efforts to manage the species, despite data showing the population has been thriving for over two decades.
Barrasso also highlighted legislation that he, Senator Cynthia Lummis, and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman introduced to delist the grizzly bear. The proposed bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the 2017 rule that removed GYE grizzlies from the Endangered and Threatened Wildlife List within 180 and prevent any review or overturning of the delisting decision by any court.
“We finally have an administration that is ready to work with the people of Wyoming,” Barrasso said.