U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, recently spoke on the Senate Floor in support of modernizing the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Senator Barrasso joined Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), in sending a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The letter calls on the USFWS to move quickly to delist the grizzly bear and return management to the states.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“I rise today to speak about improving and modernizing the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act became law in 1973 – 52 years ago. Since then, Washington bureaucrats have added 2,424 species of plants and animals to the list. Only 54 species have ever left the list. Just 54 species in 52 years.
“I’m a doctor. I’ve practiced orthopedic surgery in Casper, Wyoming, for over 20 years. As a doctor, if I had 100 patients on life support and only 3 recovered, I’d lose my medical license. And that’s what’s happening with the Endangered Species Act. Only 3 percent of those that have been put on the list have ever come off. Why do we accept this level of failure with the Endangered Species Act?
“When the Endangered Species Act became law, it was a bipartisan vote. The law has done great work to save species from extinction. We’ve seen the grizzly bear come back from the brink of extinction. When the grizzly bear was listed in 1975 – 50 years ago – they were down to 136 grizzly bears. The federal government set an ambitious recovery goal of 500 bears. Today, there are more than 1,000 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area. But the grizzly bear is still on the list.
“The law worked in terms of recovery. It identified a species in danger. It helps them recover. The law was intended to protect species so well that they no longer need protection. The law was never intended to put species on the list and leave them there forever. It would be like a doctor leaving a patient in the intensive care even though they’ve gotten better and it is time to discharge them from the hospital. That is not what is happening today. The grizzly bear remains listed. They’re trapped by bureaucracy – the bureaucracy of Washington D.C. and the courts – because the Endangered Species Act is being weaponized by environmental activists and extremists.
“Even the Washington Post Editorial Board agree. The Editorial Board argued this month, ‘It has become difficult to delist a species even after it has met its recovery goal due to threats of litigation.’ That’s what’s happening. The activist judges and activist environmental extremists do everything they can to prevent things from coming off the list, even species that are fully recovered.
“The Washington Post is right. The Endangered Species Act is broken. To fix it, the Editorial Board calls for a ‘cooling off period’ for lawsuits while states like Wyoming monitor recovered species. I actually introduced legislation to that effect in the past. Now, The Washington Post says it’s a good idea. I think Congress should listen.
“This week, Senator Cynthia Lummis, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, and I sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with our colleagues from Montana and Idaho. We are calling on the Fish and Wildlife Service to reverse last-minute interference from the Biden administration that punishes our states for our successful grizzly bear recovery efforts. It’s a federal boondoggle. We need to return management of recovered grizzly bears to the states where it belongs.
“This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a practical one. Wyoming has spent more than $50 million to help grizzly bears recover. Our state has changed our laws in order to meet federal standards to manage species after they are removed from the list. Our state management agencies continue to be in the field every day working to protect the grizzly bears and other wildlife.
“Wyoming’s good work and sound management practices have proven to be successful. But when you keep grizzly bears under Washington’s control, it hurts people in communities all around Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Homeowners face bears in their backyards, and these are killer bears. Self-defense against bear attacks risks prosecution. Farmers and ranchers are losing livestock. We should be able to protect our family and our property in Wyoming.
“The Endangered Species Act is an important law. It needs to be updated, improved, and modernized. The Endangered Species Act was last amended in 1988 – 37 years ago. Even the U.S. Constitution was amended more recently than the Endangered Species Act.
“Both Democrat and Republican administrations have delisted the grizzly bear in the past. Yet in another case of midnight meddling, the Biden administration relisted the grizzly bear in January, right before they headed out the door. Once again, they were kissing up to environmental extremists. There is also the continued problem of lawfare from environmental groups, who engage in venue shopping for partisan, liberal judges. And they can always find one.
“Wyoming shouldn’t need Washington’s permission to protect our land, protect our people, protect our wildlife, and protect our way of life. I will continue to work closely with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to empower the states to manage recovered grizzly bears.
“It’s time for Wyoming, not Washington, to be in charge of managing the bear.”
###
Office of Senator John Barrasso
