Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025 advances with a vote of 20-19
Grizzly bears could lose federal protections if several western lawmakers get their way. Last week, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources voted 20-19 to advance a bill that would delist grizzly bears, reverting back to a 2017 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), according to the Montana Free Press.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming) is sponsoring the Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025 (the “Act”), along with co-sponsors Troy Downing (R-Montana) and Ryan Zinke (R-Montana).
“In my state, they are saturated, they far exceed recovery goals and it is time to delist them,” said Hageman.
However, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California), noted that “some of the states that would assume management of the bears ‘have not demonstrated a credible commitment to continuing the conservation of the species.’”
“That’s why the former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent me a letter to Montana legislators warning that state laws and regulations threaten both grizzly bear recovery and public safety,” said Huffman. “With these anti-predator laws in place, the grizzly could once again vanish from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
Supporters of the Act argue that grizzlies have fully recovered – with nearly 200 grizzlies born each year in the Greater Yellowstone region.
“Instead of moving the goal line, we should be celebrating the win — the Endangered [Species] Act worked for grizzly bears in the GYE,” said Zinke. “As a Congressman, I am demanding the same thing I did as Secretary — If we are managing based on science, there must be an offramp for wildlife on the list once their goal is reached. Montana and Wyoming share more than a border, we share wildlife, ecosystems, and the shared responsibility to manage it properly.”
Grizzly bears have retained federal protections under the Endangered Species Act since 1975 due to declining populations and habitat. According to FWS, about 1,923 grizzly bears roam the lower 48 with 727 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The narrowly-passed Act has not been scheduled for a vote before the full House as of July 23, 2025.
