Accuses Biden Administration of Not Following Science
U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after the deadline passed for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) 12-month status review of whether delisting is warranted for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE).
“The science is clear, GYE and NCDE grizzly bears have more than recovered, and the Biden administration blowing through their deadline to determine if delisting is warranted for these grizzly populations shows their obvious aversion to following the science. These bears have met and exceeded all recovery criteria set by the FWS. Our communities and the bears themselves would be better served by state management. I hope to see the FWS prioritize the completion of this review and rightfully return management of these grizzly bears to Montana.”
The effort to begin a review of the listed status of grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act was initiated over two years ago on December 17, 2021 when Governor Gianforte of Montana filed a petition to delist the NCDE grizzly bear population. On January 10, 2022, Governor Gordon of Wyoming filed a petition to delist the GYE grizzly bear population. On February 6, 2023, the FWS found that these two petitions presented substantial information that these populations qualify as their own distinct population segment and may warrant delisting. This substantial finding initiated the status review to inform a 12-month finding on whether delisting is warranted for these two populations. If the FWS makes a warranted finding on either or both of these petitions, they would then proceed with rulemaking to delist that population.
Daines is the leading voice in the U.S. Senate working to delist recovered grizzly bear populations and return management back to Montanans. See more of his work HERE.