press release from office of Ryan Zinke
Washington, D.C. – Western Montana Representative Ryan Zinke, Rep. Harriet Hageman (WY), Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01), and Rep. Troy Downing (MT -02), urged President Trump and Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum to reverse a last-minute Biden Administration policy proposal to reclassify grizzly populations into a single Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and the Biden decision to deny Wyoming and Montana’s petitions to delist grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone (GYE) and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE). The letter ultimately calls on the current administration to return management of recovered grizzly populations to state wildlife agencies, where it rightfully belongs. Wildlife biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attempted to delist the grizzly bears in 2007 and 2017; however, radical environmental groups sued in friendly courts and the science-based decisions were overturned by activist judges.
“The Trump Administration was right in 2017 when they followed the recommendation of wildlife biologists to delist the bear, and I urge the new administration to overturn the bad Biden policy. The grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Area have fully recovered, just ask the wildlife experts and locals who see it firsthand every day,” Rep. Zinke said. “Congresswoman Hagaman and I are asking Secretary Burgum to recognize this conservation win and return management of grizzlies back to the states. At this point, ESA protection for the grizzly is about government control of land and resources, not about true conservation. If we are managing populations based on science, instead of a radical green agenda, the grizzly would have been delisted decades ago. ”
“Instead of celebrating one of the greatest conservation success stories in American history, states were punished for doing their job too well,” Rep. Hageman stated. “The previous administration’s agenda-driven reasoning against delisting the grizzly is absurd: because grizzlies have expanded beyond their designated recovery zones, they supposedly cannot be delisted. My colleagues and I are optimistic that President Trump’s administration will restore sensibility by delisting the grizzly bear and returning management to state control.”
“I was very disappointed in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule revising the Endangered Species Act listing for grizzly bears,” said Rep. Downing. “Montanans, especially our farmers and ranchers, are acutely aware of the harm that grizzly bears pose to communities around the state. I was proud to join this effort urging President Trump and Secretary Burgum to scrap the proposal and applaud Rep. Hageman for leading the charge.”
Read the full letter here.
