Pacific Northwest Gray Wolves Relief Act of 2025
This bill, titled the Pacific Northwest Gray Wolves Relief Act of 2025, directs the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a specific federal rule that had previously removed gray wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act list. The key change is that the reissuance would apply only to gray wolf populations in Oregon and Washington. In practical terms, this would restore the federal delisting status for those two states (i.e., wolves in Oregon and Washington would no longer be protected under the federal Endangered and Threatened Wildlife list, while wolves in other states would not be affected by this reissued rule). The reissuance would have to happen within 60 days of enactment. In short, the bill seeks to narrow the federal protection of gray wolves to just the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington, shifting more management authority to state wildlife agencies and potentially altering protections against threats such as habitat loss and certain protections against killing or harming wolves in those two states.
Key Points
- 1Reissue of the final federal rule that removed gray wolves from the federal endangered species list (the 2020 rule), effectively delisting wolves for the targeted populations in Oregon and Washington.
- 2The reissued rule must be completed no later than 60 days after enactment.
- 3The reissued rule applies only to gray wolf populations in the states of Oregon and Washington; wolves in other states are not covered by this Act.
- 4By applying the reissued rule only in those two states, federal protection for wolves in Oregon and Washington would be eliminated, granting state wildlife agencies primary authority over management decisions in those states.
- 5The bill does not specify funding or additional protections beyond reissuing the rule; it concentrates on altering federal status for a limited geographic area.