WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) reintroduced the Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2023 alongside Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.). This bill would remove grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) from the endangered species list and shift management of the grizzlies to wildlife scientists in the states. Both Senators Risch and Crapo are also advocates for removing all grizzly bears in Idaho from the endangered species list. 

“Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have hit all recovery targets due to the hard work of states like Idaho. In fact, all of Idaho’s grizzly bear populations have made substantial recoveries. Increasing populations and human encounters make it abundantly clear grizzlies in our state do not belong on the endangered species list. The Grizzly Bear State Management Act is an important step in delisting grizzlies in part of Idaho, but it is time for full delisting for all grizzlies within the state,” said Senator Risch.

“Idaho’s local wildlife managers are best suited to responsibly manage grizzly bear populations while simultaneously addressing the needs of the landscape and local communities,” Senator Crapo said.  “The Grizzly Bear State Management Act will restore responsibility to the right level.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it would move forward with the review process following petitions from Montana and Wyoming indicating the grizzly bear in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem may qualify as their own distinct population segment and may warrant removal from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife. Idaho’s petition, however, was denied. 

Idaho’s Delegation sent a letter to USFWS Director Martha Williams in November 2022 demanding a response to Idaho’s grizzly bear delisting petition. The agency failed to review the petition within the 90-day timeframe required by the Endangered Species Act and did not respond to the Delegation’s letter. Similarly, the Delegation sent a letter in 2021 to the U.S. Department of the Interior to heed a USFWS study demonstrating full recovery of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear populations and return species management to the states.

Read the text of the bill HERE.