FIRST IN DAILY ON ENERGY: A House Natural Resources subcommittee will host a field hearing in the coming weeks on the gray wolf, making the case for lessened federal protections on the grounds that the predator terrorizes other animals and imposes hardship on farmers, ranchers and outdoorsmen.
The Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries subcommittee will hold the hearing in Minnesota May 3 to address the economic, ecological, and societal ramifications of the “gray wolf surge,” as Republicans demand a rollback in protections for the animal. The hearing will also examine how the wolves bedevil other animals, such as elk, deer, and moose, and assess the federal government’s role in addressing the problem.
“Wolves are natural-born killers, and they are wreaking havoc upon wildlife, preying on livestock, and damaging the ability of fish and wildlife agencies to do their jobs,” subcommittee Chairman Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon said in a written statement. “Yet, the federal government remains idle on this issue, prioritizing the protection of wolves over the protection of our elk deer, moose populations, and important parts of our rural communities.”
Some background: GOP lawmakers have been asking the Biden administration to delist the animal from being under the Endangered Species Act, arguing that growth of the gray wolf’s population underlines the lack of risk for extinction – and that the population boom can cause significant problems for cattle. Twenty House Republicans, in a letter to the Fish and Wildlife Service, argued that the gray wolf no longer needed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act within the entirety of the Western U.S., noting that the agency’s decision to reject a petition to re-list the gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains was a “clear acknowledgement” of the species’ recovery.
Population numbers for the gray wolf – which once roamed the entire North American continent but is now primarily found in the Great Lakes regions and in the West – have oscillated between rising and dipping as states and federal lawmakers participate in a tug-of-war over protections for the controversial animal. During the Trump administration, the FWS fully delisted the animal from the ESA – and as more states allowed for hunting, wolf populations began to drop. A federal court order prompted the FWS to issue a rule reinstating protections for the gray wolf last year in the lower 48 states. But the Biden administration has declined to list the wolf as endangered in the Northern Rocky Mountains and in the Western U.S.
On the flipside: Measures that lessened protections for the gray wolf have raised alarm among conservationists and Democrats, who argue that increased hunting would decrease wolf numbers to unsustainable levels. And in some Democratic states, officials are fighting back – in December, Colorado wildlife officials released a number of wolves in the state as part of one of the most ambitious efforts in almost three decades to help restore population numbers.
The hearing will be held in Pine County, Minnesota – an area with a high density of gray wolves. Watch the upcoming hearing here.
