# Plain Language Summary: Gray Wolf Protection Bill

This bill tells the Secretary of the Interior to bring back and enforce federal rules that protect gray wolves in two specific regions: the Western Great Lakes area (which includes parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan) and Wyoming. These rules had been in place under the Endangered Species Act, but they were removed or changed at some point, and this bill is essentially saying "put those protections back in place."

To understand why this matters, you need to know that gray wolves were hunted to near extinction in the United States decades ago. The Endangered Species Act was created to protect animals like wolves from disappearing forever. When a species gets "listed" under this law, it means the government restricts hunting and killing of that animal, and companies have to be careful about projects that might destroy their habitat. The protections make it illegal to hunt or harm wolves in those protected areas, though there are some exceptions for self-defense or livestock protection.

This bill is essentially asking the government to restore protections that had previously been removed. This is a contentious issue because different groups have strong opinions about it. Ranchers and hunters often oppose wolf protections because wolves can kill livestock and compete with hunters for game animals like elk and deer. On the other hand, environmental groups and wildlife advocates support protections because they believe wolves are important for healthy ecosystems and shouldn't be hunted to extinction again. If this bill passes, it would mean wolves in the Great Lakes and Wyoming regions would get legal protection again, which would limit hunting and require more careful environmental review for development projects in those areas.

A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to reissue final rules relating to listing the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes and Wyoming under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Johnson, Ron

This bill addresses the removal of federal protections for the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Specifically, the Department of the Interior must reinstate a rule that removed the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes region from the endangered and threatened species list. The bill exempts the reinstated rule from judicial review. In addition, it exempts from judicial review a reinstated rule that removes the gray wolf in Wyoming from the list.