WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and 15 of his Republican colleagues sent a letter to Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva and Ranking Member Bruce Westerman demanding that they schedule a hearing on the Managing Predators Act following the recent ruling by a U.S. District Court judge in Oakland, California to unilaterally relist the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
"Enough is enough – decisions about how to manage Wisconsin’s gray wolves ought to be made by people in Wisconsin, not by lawyers, judges, and bureaucrats thousands of miles away," said Congressman Tiffany. "Wisconsin’s rural communities have been a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth between listings and de-listings for years, and the recent court ruling out of California follows suit. We need a permanent legislative solution that gets Washington out of the wolf management business and puts Wisconsinites back in the driver’s seat."
"I oppose the recent ruling in California to unilaterally re-enlist the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act," said Congressman Fitzgerald (WI-05). "This decision was blindly made without taking into consideration individual circumstance, like in Wisconsin, where scientific evidence has proven that wolf populations are in a healthy condition. The Managing Predators Act should be considered and passed quickly to ensure unelected administrators and judges are not determining the fate of Wisconsin."
"The recent court ruling on gray wolves ignores science and fact. The gray wolf is recovered. The Biden, Trump, and Obama Administrations all agreed. In fact, these wolves are now a danger to our domestic animals and livestock. It’s never been more important to pass the Managing Predators Act to restore control to the scientists, and not let unelected judges and bureaucrats from D.C. and California decide how we protect our livestock, support our deer herds, and manage our gray wolves," stated Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08).
"Science and research has well documented the resurgence of gray wolf populations in Wisconsin. A California court ignoring the science and re-listing wolves as somehow endangered, even with its robust population, is not how policy should be made. To achieve responsible wolf management we should be listening to the people impacted by wolf populations here in Wisconsin, not a faraway court dictating rules," said Rep. Bryan Steil (WI-01).
"Gray wolves can be dangerous to families and have cost Northeast Wisconsin farmers millions of dollars in livestock," said Rep. Gallagher (WI-08). "But despite the fact the gray wolf population has recovered well past its goal, special interest groups from around the country have successfully fought to re-list the gray wolf. Congress must step in and restore the states’ ability to manage wolf populations, which is why I’m proud to join Rep. Tiffany in calling on the Natural Resources Committee to immediately consider the Managing Predators Act."
At the beginning of the 117th Congress, Congressman Tiffany introduced H.R. 286, the Managing Predators Act, to permanently remove the gray wolf from the list of federal endangered species and restore management authority to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials.
Cosigners: Reps. Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Liz Cheney (WY-At-Large), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Don Young (AK-At-Large), Matt Rosendale (MT-At-Large), Lauren Boebert (CO-03), and Cliff Bentz (OR-02).
Full text of the letter can be found below:
Last Update: Mar 04, 2022 2:05 pm CST
