In late December, Congress advanced several bills that would have direct impacts on ranchers and public lands, restoring management to those most directly affected. Two bills were passed in the House, while another was moved forward by a House committee for a full floor vote.
The Pet and Livestock Protection Act and the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act were each passed by the House with bipartisan support. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) Amendments Act of 2025 was advanced by the House Natural Resources Committee.
Industry groups urge members to contact their senators to express support for the Pet and Livestock Protection Act and SPEED Act, and contact their House representatives to urge passage of the ESA Amendments Act.
Gray wolf delisting
The Pet and Livestock Protection Act passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 211-204. The legislation would delist the gray wolf from the ESA and restore authority to state lawmakers and wildlife officials for gray wolf management. The bill was introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO-04) in January.
“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,” Boebert said.
The bill would require the secretary of the Interior to reissue the 2020 Department of the Interior final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 states, which was overturned by a California judge in 2022. The bill would also ensure the rule could not be overturned through judicial review.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) said that activist group lawsuits have forced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to keep the wolf listed. Restoring the 2020 wolf delisting will give management decisions and certainty back to cattle producers, NCBA said, who are suffering financially and financially from the toll of wolf depredations.
“Since being listed under the ESA in 1974, the gray wolf population has seen tremendous recovery, exceeding recovery goals by 300%,” the group said.
The Public Lands Council (PLC) said the legislation is essential to protecting livestock from depredation and restoring a balance to wildlife management.
“Returning management authority to the states ensures that decisions are made closer to those directly impacted on the ground,” said PLC President and Colorado rancher Tim Canterbury.
Environmental groups expressed their opposition to the bill.
“The bill removes science from the federal endangered species list and plays on communities’ love for pets and livestock to curry public support,” Defenders of Wildlife said in a statement.
Modernizing the NEPA process
The SPEED Act passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 221-196. The legislation would amend the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to facilitate more efficient and timely environmental reviews. The bill was introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) in July.
“Reforming the National Environmental Policy Act permitting process through the SPEED Act will ultimately reduce unnecessary delays and make it easier for local governments to access the resources they need in order to complete economy-stimulating projects in a timely manner,” Westerman said.
The legislation would simplify the analysis required in NEPA documents and clarify when NEPA is triggered. The bill also establishes judicial review limitations for NEPA claims, including a 150-day deadline for filing claims, and eliminates vacatur and injunction as court remedies.
PLC said many livestock producers rely on federal permitting under NEPA to make range improvements and carry out other conservation work.
“Unfortunately, outdated NEPA processes have made permitting for livestock grazing much more difficult and costly, which limits the amount of conservation work that can be done and leaves working lands in worse condition,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “This legislation speeds up federal permitting by reducing bureaucratic red tape and avoiding NEPA weaponization by frivolous litigation.”
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) called the legislation an attack on bedrock environmental laws.
“This bill is another way for the Trump administration to allow polluters to write their own ticket to pollute while disregarding the people who are impacted by their actions,” said SELC Director of Federal Affairs Nat Mund in a statement.
Reforming the ESA
The House Committee on Natural Resources marked up and advanced the ESA Amendments Act, moving the bill to a final floor vote. The bill was introduced by Westerman in March.
“(The bill) restores science, conservation, and sustainable economic development to America’s endangered species policy and returns the ESA to its original, bipartisan purpose as a tool for species recovery,” Westerman said.
The legislation would reform the ESA by establishing clear statutory definitions, incentivizing wildlife conservation on private lands and recovering listed species, and streamlining the permitting process.
“These bipartisan reforms would require economic and national security analyses for listing decisions, prioritize resources for species most in need, increase transparency in recovery planning, and streamline permitting,” PLC said.
The next step is securing full passage in the House. — Anna Miller Fortozo, WLJ managing editor
