Hageman Leads Bill to Delist Greater Yellowstone Population of Grizzly Bears

Today, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman introduced legislation to direct the Secretary of Interior to remove the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife. The Greater Yellowstone population was delisted twice before, in 2007 and 2017. Each time, the delisting was thrown out by activist courts.

Hageman stated, “The Greater Yellowstone population of grizzly bears should have been removed from the endangered and threatened species list fifteen years ago. The grizzly bear has been listed since 1975, and its original recovery goal was 500 bears. Today, the number of bears are more than double that goal and have become a threat to people and livestock in Wyoming. The goal of the Endangered Species Act should always be to stabilize declining populations of wildlife, then remove the species from the list when recovery goals and benchmarks have been met. Unfortunately, like we see in all facets of the federal government, once an agency has control, they are loathe to surrender it for any reason.

“I appreciate the support of my House cosponsors, Rep. Ryan Zinke, who actually DID move to delist the grizzly bear during his service as Secretary of the Interior, and Rep. Matt Rosendale. I would also like to thank Senator Cynthia Lummis for introducing this legislation in the Senate, and for her overall leadership and expertise on this issue – and Senators Barrasso, Crapo, Daines, and Risch for cosponsoring that legislation.”

“Instead of moving the goal line, we should be celebrating the win – the Endangered Spices Act worked for grizzly bears in the GYE,” Zinke said. “As a Congressman, I am demanding the same thing I did as Secretary - If we are managing based on science there must be an offramp for wildlife on the list once their goal is reached. Montana and Wyoming share more than a border, we share wildlife, ecosystems, and the shared responsibility to manage it properly. Congresswoman Hageman is a champion for wildlife management, and I am excited to work closely with her and members in both chambers on this critical piece to ensure they make the right choice for Montana.”

“The grizzly bear has recovered in Yellowstone, and it’s time to return management back to the states,” said Rep. Rosendale. “Rather than keeping in place burdensome, bureaucratic restrictions on Montanans, the grizzly bear population should be responsibly managed using modern science-based methods in collaboration with the communities they impact.”

Background:

In early February, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it completed its initial review of three petitions to delist grizzly bears in the lower 48 (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was one of the three). The Service found that petitions from Montana and Wyoming present substantial information indicating the grizzly bear in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) may qualify as their own distinct population segment and may warrant removal from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife. The Service will now initiate a comprehensive status review of the grizzly bear in the NCDE and GYE based on the best available scientific and commercial data available to inform a 12-month finding. If the 12-month finding results in proposing one or more DPSs for delisting, the Service will consider those in the context of the ongoing recovery for the rest of the population in the larger listed entity, and any proposed rule would have additional public notice and comment.

While this is a positive development, a legislative solution is needed to prevent any uncertainty, such as that which came the last two times delisting was recommended.

Contact: Chris Berardi, Senior Advisor/Communications Director