Committee Passes Barrasso Amendment to Delist Gray Wolf

On Wednesday (Jan. 20) U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), successfully included an amendment to S. 659, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015, that would delist the gray wolf in Wyoming, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. S. 659 passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee by a vote of 12 to 8 with bipartisan support.

Barrasso issued the following remarks regarding his amendment at Wednesday's EPW committee business meeting:

“My amendment would delist the gray wolf in Wyoming and the Great Lakes under the Endangered Species Act. It also protects that delisting from further judicial review similar to the judicial protections granted by Congress to Montana and Idaho.

“This amendment is one of many legislative efforts I will continue to pursue until Wyoming’s wolf management plan is protected and fully implemented.

“Wyoming has honored its commitment and put together a solid and working plan to protect the state’s wolf population.

“Dan Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stated in this very committee that he agrees that wolves should be delisted in Wyoming.

“The time to move forward, recognize the science, and focus our scarce taxpayer resources on truly imperiled species is now.”

 

Barrasso’s amendment specifically directs the secretary of the Interior to reissue final rules related to the listing of the gray wolf in Wyoming, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota and under the Endangered Species Act  of 1973.

On May 11, 2015, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Dan Ashe testified before the Senate EPW Committee. In response to questioning from Barrasso, Director Ashe confirmed that Wyoming has met every goal that the USFWS set for protecting the grey wolf and agreed that it’s time for the wolf to once again be delisted in Wyoming. Click here to watch video of Senator Barrasso questioning Director Ashe.

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