Idaho’s congressional delegation has renewed calls to remove grizzly bears from Endangered Species Act protections, citing an increase in livestock killings as proof that the bear population has rebounded.
U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, all Republicans, sent a letter last week to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. The letter said Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to respond to a March petition co-signed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little, alongside Montana and Wyoming’s governors, arguing for grizzlies to be delisted.
The lawmakers said the agency failed to meet a 90-day deadline to respond to the petition and “exacerbated serious issues currently experienced in Idaho’s bear country.”
