Feds violated Endangered Species Act in denying gray wolf protections, court rules
A federal court in Missoula has sided with a coalition of environmental groups to block a federal decision to remove Western gray wolves from protections warranted under the Endangered Species Act.
In his Aug. 5 decision, Judge Donald Molloy wrote that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the act in its 2024 decision to remove federal protections from gray wolves. Now, the agency must reassess the canine’s status and administer a decision consistent with both the ESA and best available science.
Earlier this year, conservation groups challenged the agency’s denial of their petitions to list a Western distinct population segment, or DPS, of gray wolves under the ESA. Alternatively, the Service could relist the Northern Rocky Mountain DPS, which Congress delisted in 2011.
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