In a bipartisan vote of 211-204, the U.S. House passed the Pet and Livestock Protection Act (H.R. 845), introduced by Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) on Dec. 18. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act delists the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), prevents endless lawfare from overturning the decision, and restores authority to state lawmakers and wildlife officials to responsibly manage gray wolf populations.
“When federal protections were first established for gray wolves in the Great Lakes region, populations were only in the hundreds,” says Congressman Tom Tiffany. “Today, there are well over 4,000 wolves across Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Despite this recovery, activist judges continue to ignore the science, leaving livestock and pets to be slaughtered and rural communities vulnerable.”
Tiffany says the Pet and Livestock Protection Act reflects a commonsense approach that has been recognized across administrations of both parties, including Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden.
“The gray wolf has recovered, and Wisconsin should be allowed to responsibly manage a population that has exceeded recovery goals without interference from out-of-state judges,” Tiffany says.
NCBA Responds
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) have been strong supporters of this legislation which would reissue the 2020 rule delisting gray wolves in the lower 48 states and ensure that the delisting cannot be overturned in federal court again.
“For too long, ranchers have grappled with the pendulum swing of regulatory determination on the gray wolf,” says NCBA president and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “The last three presidents have concluded that the gray wolf is fully recovered, yet lawsuits from activist groups have forced the agency to back away from sound science and keep the wolf listed.”
Wehrbein believes this would give management decisions and certainty back to cattle producers, who are suffering financially and emotionally from wolf depredations that increase every year.
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert says she is thrilled the Pet and Livestock Protection Act has now passed the House with a bipartisan vote, marking a major win for ranchers, farmers and property owners in Colorado and nationwide.
“The science has been clear for years: gray wolves are fully recovered, and their resurgence deserves to be celebrated as a true conservation success story,” Boebert says. “It’s long past time to delist them and empower states to set their own management policies. I can’t wait for President Trump to sign this bill into law.”
Gray wolves were delisted during the first Trump administration in 2020, but this rule was vacated by a U.S. District Courting ruling in 2022. Since being listed under the ESA in 1974, the gray wolf population has seen tremendous recovery, exceeding recovery goals by 300%.
The next step for the Pet and Livestock Protection Act is for it to move to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
