Bill passed to delist wolves
In the latest chapter of the long-running debate over wolf management, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and cosponsored by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) to remove federal protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states.
House Resolution 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, was passed in the House on Dec. 18, 2025 with a bipartisan vote of 211 to 204 and ultimately directs the Department of the Interior to reissue a 2020 Trump administration rule to delist gray wolves nationwide, with language to prevent the rule from being overturned through judicial review.
If approved by the Senate and signed into law, the measure would also restore management authority to states and Tribal wildlife agencies.
Wolf recovery
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) gray wolves were first listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1974.
After a long cycle of removing and reinstating protections over the years, the Trump administration issued a final rule to remove all gray wolves in the contiguous U.S. – with the exception of the Mexican gray wolf – from ESA protections.
In 2022, a federal judge restored protections for most delisted wolves, leaving only the Northern Rockies population outside of full federal protection.
Today, FWS reports significantly rebounded populations exceeding original recovery goals by an estimated 300 percent.
Tiffany and Boebert cite the successful recovery of gray wolves as a reason for introducing the Pet and Livestock Protection Act.
“When federal protections were first established for gray wolves in the Great Lakes Region, populations were only in the hundreds. Today, there are well over 4,000 wolves across Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin,” Tiffany states. “Despite this recovery, activist judges continue to ignore the science, leaving livestock and pets to be slaughtered and rural communities vulnerable.”
“The Pet and Livestock Protection Act reflects a commonsense approach which has been recognized across administrations of both parties, including Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Tiffany adds.
Boebert comments, “I’m 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. It’s long past time to delist them and empower states to set their own management policies. I can’t wait for Trump to sign this bill into law.”
Western impact
If enacted, sources note the Pet and Livestock Protection Act would affect western states differently depending on their current wolf management strategy.
In Wyoming, gray wolves are managed under a state-approved plan following earlier delisting in the Northern Rockies. Wolves are classified as trophy game animals in a designated management area around Yellowstone National Park and as predators in other parts of the state, where they may be taken without a license.
Supporters of the legislation emphasize the bill would largely maintain the status quo in Wyoming, while preventing state management authority from federal relisting in the future.
State officials and ag groups believe Wyoming’s existing framework demonstrates individual states can manage stable wolf populations and effectively handle wildlife, livestock and human conflicts.
Colorado, however, is in a different position.
In a Dec. 24, 2025 Steamboat Pilot and Today article, Reporter Ali Longwell notes gray wolves in the Centennial State remain under ESA protections, and in December 2023, a voter-mandated gray wolf reintroduction was initiated under the 10(j) experimental population rule, which allows limited lethal control in specific circumstances, such as when a wolf is caught in the act of attacking livestock.
If the Pet and Livestock Protection Act becomes law, federal ESA protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states would be removed, rendering Colorado’s 10(j) experimental population rule unnecessary.
Instead, Longwell explains wolf management authority would shift fully to Colorado, where wolves would continue to be governed under the state’s Wolf Restoration and Management Plan.
Those in favor of Tiffany and Boebert’s legislation argue federal delisting would give Colorado more flexibility to respond to livestock depredation and public safety concerns as the reintroduced population expands.
Opponents counter removing federal protections during the early stages of reintroduction could jeopardize the program’s success and lead to increased lethal control.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Public Information Officer Luke Perkins says, “Impacts to Colorado’s program from a nationwide recovery plan would be entirely dependent on what it entailed and the recovery goals it outlined.”
Steady support
As expected, the passage of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act in the House caused mixed feelings.
Livestock organizations including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) released statements applauding the House vote.
“For too long, ranchers have grappled with the pendulum swing of regulatory determination on the gray wolf. The last three presidents have concluded 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,” says NCBA President and Nebraska Cattleman Buck Wehrbein.
“Restoring the 2020 wolf delisting through the Pet and Livestock Protection Act will give management decisions and certainty back to cattle producers who are suffering financially and emotionally from wolf depredations which increase every year,” he adds. “NCBA extends our gratitude to Congress for passing this legislation and urge the Senate to act.”
PLC President and Colorado Rancher Tim Canterbury cites recovery numbers and says returning authority to states would allow management decisions be made closer to the communities affected by wolf populations.
He states, “The science is clear. Gray wolves have long since recovered and remain listed only because of political pressure from activist groups. Ranchers and rural communities across the West face the daily consequences of unchecked wolf populations, which threaten both livestock and pets.”
“Returning management authority to the states ensures decisions are made closer to those directly impacted on the ground,” Canterbury continues. “Ranchers proudly support this bill, and PLC thanks Tiffany and Boebert for standing with ranchers and rural communities.”
Strong opposition
On the other hand, conservation and animal welfare organizations strongly oppose the bill, arguing it removes critical safeguards and undermines the ESA.
“This is the most dangerous threat to wolves we have seen in years. It is a reckless and deeply unpopular move which ignores science, the courts and the values held by millions of Americans who overwhelmingly support protecting these iconic animals,” says Kitty Block, president and chief executive officer of Humane World for Animals.
“Wolves are still missing from most of their historic range and remain vulnerable to the same over-killing that drove them to the brink of extinction in the first place,” Block adds. “They deserve a chance to recover, not to have their pack families torn apart for trophies and bragging rights by hunters.”
Critics also object to the bill’s prohibition on judicial review, saying it prevents courts from evaluating whether delisting decisions comply with environmental laws.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
