A district judge recently ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will have to review whether Yellowstone bison may warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss said the agency used the wrong standard in its review and failed to address a significant part of the question before denying Buffalo Field Campaign and Western Watersheds Project’s petition to have the bison relisted.
“It is concerning, to be sure, that over seven years have now passed since the 2014 petition was filed,” Moss wrote in his opinion. “But it remains unclear whether sufficient basis exists to proceed to the next stage of the ESA process, and in light of the substantial amount of work done to date, the Service should be able to answer that question promptly.”
There is no deadline for USFWS to respond, but both sides must update the court within 90 days.
