WASHINGTON – This week U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced bipartisan legislation to return management of gray wolf populations to states and delist the gray wolf as an endangered species in western Great Lakes states, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, as well as Wyoming under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

“Wisconsinites must have a say in the management of gray wolves. In the western Great Lakes region, state wildlife agencies should manage the recovered population so the wolf’s ongoing role in the ecosystem does not come at the expense of farmers, loggers, sportsmen and people who simply live in these areas. Since 2015, I’ve fought to delist the gray wolf through multiple pieces of legislation and I will keep fighting until Congress passes a law that will codify the wolf delist administrative rulings that the Department of Interior under President Obama issued,” said Senator Johnson.

“I have supported a bipartisan effort to delist the gray wolf in Wisconsin since 2011 because of the scientific conclusion that the population has recovered in the Great Lakes region and that is why we should return management to the State of Wisconsin. This bipartisan legislation is the best solution because it is driven by science and is focused on delisting in the Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin,” said Senator Baldwin.

The legislation comes after a California federal court restored endangered species protection for the gray wolf in the lower 48 states, rolling back policies supported by the current and previous administrations. Since 2015, Sen. Johnson has advocated a narrow approach to delist the gray wolf and allow wolf management plans that are based on state wildlife expertise.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

###