The U.S. House Of Representatives Passed A Bill That Would Remove Gray Wolves From Protection Under The Endangered Species Act (ESA), And It May Spell Trouble For The Species
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that would remove gray wolves from the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which could spell trouble for the species. Currently, gray wolves are classified as endangered in 44 states.
The bill has been dubbed the “Trust the Science Act.” It was introduced by Lauren Boebert, a Republican representative from Colorado.
The bill was passed by a vote of 209 to 205. One of its aims is to give state lawmakers and state wildlife officials authority to control the gray wolf population.
Many of the bill’s supporters argue that gray wolves are not in need of protection any longer, adding that their steadily increasing numbers are causing harm to the surrounding populations of people and animals.
Over the last few years, there have been more and more gray wolf attacks in areas such as Wisconsin.
“The science is clear; the gray wolf has met and exceeded recovery goals,” Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany said in a statement. “Today’s House passage represents an important first step toward restoring local control over the skyrocketing gray wolf population in Wisconsin. I will continue to fight to get this legislation through the U.S. Senate to protect livestock and pets from brutal wolf attacks.”
However, some of those who are against the bill believe that just because gray wolf numbers have improved, it doesn’t mean that protections should be removed.
Jared Huffman, a California Democrat Congressman, stated that passing the bill simply says that the gray wolves are recovered, but that doesn’t make it true.
According to the Wolf Conservation Center, there are approximately 8,100 gray wolves in 48 states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that 2,797 of the 8,100 can be found in the western region of the country.
AB Photography – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual wolf
Gray wolves were first listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1978. Throughout the early 1900s, they were frequently hunted, leading them to near extinction.
In 2020, federal protection of the species was removed under the Trump administration, but less than two years later, the decision was reversed in all but four of the original 48 states by a judge in California.
If the current bill becomes law, it would prevent such reversals from occurring in the future. Next, the bill must be reviewed by the U.S. Senate, but there are doubts that it will get any further because the Biden administration released a statement about how they were opposed to the bill.
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