State- and Science-based Gray Wolf Reintroduction Act of 2020

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6267 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6267

 To establish a process for State determinations with respect to Canis 
   lupus reintroduction, to protect ungulate, stock animal, and dog 
                  populations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2020

  Mr. Tipton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a process for State determinations with respect to Canis 
   lupus reintroduction, to protect ungulate, stock animal, and dog 
                  populations, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``State- and Science-based Gray Wolf 
Reintroduction Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) For the last 20 years, scientists at the United States 
        Fish and Wildlife Service have recommended against further 
        reintroduction of gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains 
        where the species has already exceeded recovery goals.
            (2) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service wrote in 
        the final rule titled ``Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and 
        Plants; Final Rule To Reclassify and Remove the Gray Wolf From 
        the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in Portions of 
        the Conterminous United States; Establishment of Two Special 
        Regulations for Threatened Gray Wolves'' (68 Fed. Reg. 15803; 
        April 1, 2003) that ``[e]stablishing additional populations 
        would provide no additional genetic benefits to wolf recovery 
        under the Act. . .'' and ``new recovery programs are not 
        necessary to achieve recovery of the gray wolf under the Act 
        either as formerly listed in the 48 States and Mexico or under 
        the new listings established by this final rule''.
            (3) Under President Obama, the United States Fish and 
        Wildlife Service published a final rule on April 2, 2009, 
        titled ``Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final 
        Rule To Identify the Western Great Lakes Populations of Gray 
        Wolves as a Distinct Population Segment and To Revise the List 
        of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife'' (74 Fed. Reg. 15070), 
        which states that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
        has identified a distinct population segment of the gray wolf 
        in the Northern Rocky Mountains of the United States and 
        revises the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife by 
        removing gray wolves within the Northern Rocky Mountain 
        distinct population segment boundary, except in Wyoming.
            (4) Under President Obama, the United States Fish and 
        Wildlife Service published a final rule on September 10, 2012 
        (77 Fed. Reg. 55530), that was reinstated on March 3, 2017, by 
        the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the 
        District of Columbia (No. 14-5300), and further republished on 
        May 1, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 20284), which states that the best 
        scientific and commercial data available indicate that gray 
        wolves in Wyoming have recovered and are no longer in need of 
        protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

SEC. 3. STATE REINTRODUCTION OF CANIS LUPUS.

    (a) State Petition for Reintroduction.--If Canis lupus is listed as 
an endangered species or threatened species pursuant to section 4(a) of 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)), or is part of a 
monitoring strategy under section (4)(g) of such Act, a State may not 
reintroduce Canis lupus within the boundaries of such State unless--
            (1) the Governor of such State submits to the Secretary a 
        petition that includes the information described in subsection 
        (b); and
            (2) such petition is approved by the Secretary.
    (b) Information Described.--The information described in this 
subsection is the following:
            (1) A science-based finding from the State fish and 
        wildlife department that reintroduction of Canis lupus is 
        necessary--
                    (A) to support a Canis lupus recovery plan 
                developed under section 4(f) of the Endangered Species 
                Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)); or
                    (B) to support Canis lupus monitoring under section 
                4(g) of such Act.
            (2) A description of the impact that Canis lupus 
        reintroduction will have on the wild ungulate population of the 
        State.
            (3) A description of--
                    (A) the wild ungulate population management 
                objectives of such State;
                    (B) the Federal resources the State uses to 
                maintain and meet such objectives; and
                    (C) how Canis lupus reintroduction may impact such 
                objectives and resources.
    (c) Notice of Petition.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
which the Secretary receives a State petition for reintroduction of 
Canis lupus under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
            (1) provide to each chief executive of an affected county 
        notice of the State petition; and
            (2) solicit from each such chief executive--
                    (A) information about the anticipated effects of 
                such reintroduction, including how--
                            (i) hunting opportunities for wild ungulate 
                        populations in the county could be impacted by 
                        such reintroduction and the estimated economic 
                        effect of any expected reduction in such 
                        opportunities; and
                            (ii) such reintroduction could result in 
                        losses of stock animals within the county and 
                        the economic impact of such losses; and
                    (B) a recommendation for approval or denial of the 
                petition.
    (d) Effect of County Determination.--Not later than 6 months after 
the date on which the Secretary makes a solicitation under subsection 
(c)(2), if a chief executive of an affected county submits to the 
Secretary a recommendation under subsection (c)(2)(B) that the relevant 
petition be denied, the Secretary may not approve such petition 
pursuant to subsection (a)(2).
    (e) Protection of Stock Animals and Dogs.--
            (1) In general.--If the Secretary approves a petition 
        pursuant to subsection (a)(2), and if a person meets the 
        requirements described in paragraph (2), such person may take a 
        Canis lupus that is attacking a stock animal or dog.
            (2) Requirements described.--The requirements described in 
        this paragraph are the following:
                    (A) The person is not--
                            (i) trespassing; or
                            (ii) on land administered by the Director 
                        of the National Park Service.
                    (B) The person did not intentionally bait, feed, or 
                otherwise attract the  Canis lupus.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Chief executive of an affected county.--The term 
        ``chief executive of an affected county'' means the highest 
        elected or appointed executive of each county in which Canis 
        lupus would be reintroduced pursuant to a State petition 
        submitted under subsection (a).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (3) State fish and wildlife department.--The term ``State 
        fish and wildlife department'' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 
        (16 U.S.C. 669a).
            (4) Stock animal.--The term ``stock animal'' means cattle, 
        sheep, horses, goats, and other domestic animals ordinarily 
        raised or used on a farm.
            (5) Take.--The term ``take'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 3 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
        U.S.C. 1532).
            (6) Wild ungulate population.--The term ``wild ungulate 
        population'' means deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain 
        goats, antelope, and bison.
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