The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delaying a decision on petitions filed by the Montana and Wyoming governors seeking the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears.
The finding was set to be completed by the end of July, but the agency cited a slew of lawsuits have slowed the process down. The decision has now been deferred to January. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte have expressed an intent to sue if there is no update by the end of October.
Gordon and Gianforte recently announced the successful translocation of two grizzly bears from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem in Montana to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in Wyoming.
“This recent action is again further proof that our state wildlife agencies are responsible wildlife stewards, responsive to science, and committed to sustaining populations,” said Blake Henning, the chief conservation officer for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. “We commend them for their actions and look forward to a delisting soon.”
