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A joint resolution penned by the Wyoming House is asking the U.S. Congress to remove grizzly bears and gray wolves from the Endangered Species list and assist the state of Wyoming in compensating stock losses due to the predators.
The bill passed …
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The Wyoming Legislature wants state control of its wolves and grizzly bears, and funding from the federal government to recompense lost livestock.
A joint resolution penned by the Wyoming House is asking the U.S. Congress to remove grizzly bears and gray wolves from the Endangered Species list and assist the state of Wyoming in compensating stock losses due to the predators.
The bill passed the House and Senate and is en route to the governor.
According to the bill, grizzlies and wolves are recovered and “should be removed from the list of experimental nonessential population, endangered species or threatened species in Wyoming.” It also calls for state management of both species.
Whether Congress can fulfill the Legislature’s request remains up in the air.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service isn’t the only Washington, D.C.-based entity with the clout to remove animals from the Endangered Species list.
“Congress can delist an animal if it is included in a bill that is signed into law,” said Max D’Onofrio, field representative for Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.
If Congress did delist the two species, it might save Wyoming a lot of time and money in court when the anti-delisting crowd initiates legal action.
“Congress can insulate the state from lawsuits by removing judicial review of a delisting decision, but it has to do so with express legislative language in a bill,” D’Onofrio said.
The Legislature’s bill calls for the secretary of state of Wyoming to transmit copies of the resolution to the president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation and to the director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Congress has delisted species in the past through legislation, including delisting wolves in states such as Idaho and Montana,” D’Onofrio said. “Sen. Enzi continues to work to return the management of the wolf back to the state of Wyoming. Sen. Enzi also supports delisting the grizzly bear.”
