The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking comments on a proposed rule to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act. Comments are due by May 14, 2019.
As covered recently in the March 18 issue of WLJ, the agency is making a third attempt in over a decade to delist the wolf in the lower 48 states. Past efforts have been reversed in the courts as a result of litigation by environmental groups that claim the wolf is not recovered.
According to the proposed rule, gray wolves (not including the Mexican gray wolf nor the red wolf) are no longer threatened with extinction in all or part of their range, or at risk of becoming so.
The USFWS has asked that commenters submit comments that include their position, scientific reasons supporting your position, as well as “sufficient information” to allow USFWS to “verify any scientific or commercial information” that is included. Examples such as scientific journal articles or other publications were given.
Comments simply stating a position with no support or reasoning “will not meet the standard of best available scientific and commercial data,” according to the USFWS. For your comment to be properly considered, it must give supported reasons for your position.
As of press time, there were almost 5,000 comments that had been submitted and published online. The use of form letters from groups opposed to the delisting was very evident. As per previous agency comment notices on controversial topics, form letters are generally counted as one comment, regardless of how many times they are submitted.
Comments can be sent either electronically or via the mail. The full proposal can be read, and comments can be submitted, online via the link below.
Physical comments can be submitted via mail by addressing comments to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. — WLJ
