WASHINGTON D.C.-- The Pet and Livestock Protection Act (PALPA) introduced by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) and Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) passed through the House Natural Resources Committee today, a major milestone for this legislation's path to President Trump's desk. The House Natural Resources Committee voted 24-17 to advance the bill to the House floor.

The bill delists the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List, prioritizes the safety and success of America's agriculture community, removes the ability of progressive, activist judges to get in the way of science and allows states to set their own rules and regulations for managing their gray wolf population.

“I'm very excited to see PALPA take another step towards being signed into law, which will be a huge victory for our ranchers, farmers, and landowners in Colorado and across America,” said Congresswoman Boebert. "The science has been very clear on this topic for years: gray wolves are fully recovered and their comeback should be touted as a success story. Now it's time we encourage states to set their own guidelines and allow ranchers, farmers, and landowners to protect their livelihoods. I look forward to voting for this bill on the House floor and ultimately getting it to President Trump for his signature."

“The damage to pets, livestock, and wildlife from an unmanaged wolf population can no longer be ignored. The gray wolf has exceeded federal and state recovery goals, with over 1,000 wolves now thriving in Wisconsin. It’s time to take the next step, delist them, and let the people closest to the gray wolf manage their population levels.” said Congressman Tiffany.

“The Endangered Species Act was never meant to be a Hotel California where species check in but never leave. Congresswoman Boebert and Congressman Tiffany's Pet and Livestock Protection Act will allow the recovered gray wolf to check out and return management to the states who know the species best. I thank Ms. Boebert and Mr. Tiffany for their work on this important issue," said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04).

“The Colorado Wool Growers Association greatly appreciates Congresswoman Boebert and Congressman Tiffany’s leadership on the efforts to delist the gray wolf,” said Bonnie Eddy, Executive Director of the Colorado Wool Growers Association. “With over 2,000 wolves on the landscape in the western United States, the species has been biologically recovered for years.  Unfortunately, ESA species are often used to restrict land use and control habitat.  Delisting will give farmers, ranchers, and agencies much needed flexibility to manage depredating wolves that kill livestock and to manage the negative impacts to our big game herds.”

“Hunter Nation salutes the House Natural Resources Committee for voting the ‘Pet and Livestock Protection Act’ out of committee, and thanks Congressman Tom Tiffany and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert for their unwavering support of hunters and our hunting lifestyle,” said Keith Mark, President/Founder of Hunter Nation. “The delisting of the gray wolf is a policy change we have been fighting for since our founding. The recovery of the gray wolf is an incredible conservation success story that should be celebrated. This legislation allows each state to manage the now recovered wolf population just as they manage all other wildlife within the state. The best part of this legislation is the provision that prevents judicial review of the legislative action which will preclude anti-hunting groups from using activist judges to interfere with sound, science-based conservation.”

“Colorado's Western Slope has the second largest deposit of natural gas in the world, and wolves on the landscape will put drilling and investing at a full stop--you can open up all the leases and it won't make a difference if wolves aren't delisted and dealt with. Energy producers need this bill to pass, or they'll just pack up and leave the wolves and Colorado's economy behind," said Mike Clark, Chairman of the Colorado Conservation Alliance. 

Congresswoman Boebert's opening statement from today's Committee hearing can be found HERE.

Additional Reading:

9News: Wolf from Great Lakes dies in Elbert County, Colorado

USA Today: Colorado Gray Wolf killed after attacking 5 sheep in Wyoming

The Gazette: Wolves from Canada Arrive in Colorado, Destination Unknown

Colorado Sun: Ranchers hit Colorado with $580,000 in wolf depredation claims after gray wolf attacks on livestock

Background:

The Pet and Livestock Protection Act requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the 2020 Department of the Interior final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 United States. It also ensures this rule cannot be overturned through judicial review, preventing activist judges, like the California judge who vacated the rule in 2022, from relisting the gray wolf by judicial fiat.

In 2020, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under President Trump delisted the gray wolf in the lower 48 United States through a process that included the best science and data available. At over 6,000 wolves at the time of delisting, the gray wolf has been the latest Endangered Species Act (ESA) success story with significant population recoveries in the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes regions.

Despite clear evidence of recovery, a California judge overturned the rule in 2022, relisting the gray wolf under the ESA. In Colorado, foreign gray wolves have been imported in from Canada despite strong pushback from local stakeholders and confusion about how to fund wolf depredation claims.

32 Members of Congress cosponsored the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, including: Reps. Nick Begich (AK-At-Large), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Jeff Crank (CO-05), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Troy Downing (MT-02), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Gabe Evans (CO-08), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Harriet Hagemann (WY-At-Large), Andy Harris (MD-01), Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Richard Hudson (NC-09), Mike Kennedy (UT-03), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Max Miller (OH-07), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Troy Nehls (TX-22), Andy Ogles (TN-05), Scott Perry (PA-10), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), and Tony Wied (WI-08).

Stakeholders that support the Pet and Livestock Protection Act include: American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Public Lands Council (PLC), National Rifle Association (NRA), Safari Club International (SCI), Hunter Nation, International Order of T. Roosevelt (IOTR), Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Blacktail Deer Foundation, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Conservation Alliance, Colorado Wool Growers, New Mexico Cattle Growers, Mesa County, CO, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association, Coalition of Arizona/New Mexico Counties, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, and Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association.

###

For updates, subscribe to Congresswoman Boebert’s newsletter here.