# Plain Language Summary: Gray Wolf Delisting Bill

This bill would require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the federal list of endangered and threatened species. Right now, gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, which means there are strict rules about hunting them and strict penalties for harming them. If this bill passes, that federal protection would go away, and wolves would no longer be considered an endangered species at the national level.

What this means in practice is that individual states would gain more control over wolf management in their territories. States could then set their own rules about wolf hunting and population control. Some states might allow hunting and trapping of wolves, while others might maintain their own protections. The federal government would step back from its current role of protecting wolves across the country. This is significant because wolves roam across state lines, and currently the federal government ensures consistent protection no matter where a wolf travels.

The bill would primarily affect people in western states where gray wolf populations have recovered in recent decades, particularly in areas like the Northern Rockies and Southwest. Ranchers who worry about wolves attacking livestock, hunters who compete with wolves for game animals, and wildlife advocates who want to preserve wolves would all be impacted differently. Environmental groups generally oppose this change because they believe federal protection is necessary to keep wolf populations stable, while some rural communities and hunting interests support it because they want more local control over wolf numbers.

A bill to require the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to reissue a final rule removing the gray wolf from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.