Providing for Consideration of H.R. Manage Our Wolves Act, and Providing for Proceedings During the Period From November Through November 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time.

Mr. Speaker, like many Montanans, I have a deep respect for our environment. I support protecting our rich and diverse wildlife and believe we can support multiple uses of land while conserving species. Unfortunately, we have seen environmental groups use misinformation and litigation to keep species listed that have already recovered.

In 2013, the Obama administration's Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the gray wolf populations across the United States. It found that the species no longer warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Rather than celebrating the recovery, serial litigants and extremists filed lawsuits to stop the process. Montana has been fortunate. Through Federal legislation, the wolf has been delisted in Montana since 2011. Even without ESA protection, the species has continued to recover to a point nearing overpopulation.

While the focus of this legislation is wolves, a similar issue is playing out in Montana over the grizzly bear in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Just last year, the grizzly bear was delisted there. I celebrate the recovery of the species, but it had recovered more than a decade ago, according to scientists who have spent their lives studying the grizzly.

Using sound science and reliable data, they found the ecosystem reached maximum carrying capacity of the grizzly bear 16 years ago, but serial litigants have repeatedly thwarted the delisting efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The unnecessary delay in delisting species has created unnecessary stress on the bears and impacted our communities. The overpopulation of the grizzly pushes them into our communities and increases the opportunities for attacks.

We must address the flaws in the Endangered Species Act to ensure species are delisted when they have recovered, and to prevent the law from being used as a bludgeoning tool for special interest groups to block critical projects.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 6784 and the rule that we are considering, the Manage Our Wolves Act, and I urge passage of the bill.

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