House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have issued a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Martha Williams, continuing their investigation into the USFWS's gray wolf recovery plan. The letter addresses concerns over the agency's response to a previous request for information.
"As you know, on February 1, 2024, the Committee sent you a letter requesting information, documents, and records critical to our oversight activity. The deadline for the requested information, documents, and records requested in the Committee Letter was February 21, 2024. To date, the Service has not acknowledged the Committee Letter, let alone provided a substantive reply or production responsive to our requests," wrote Westerman and Gosar.
The committee members further stated: "On February 2, 2024, the Service launched ‘a National Recovery Plan under the Endangered Species Act for gray wolves in the lower 48 states.’ Given the launch of the Service’s Wolf Plan after the Committee Letter, the Committee further requests that you provide additional documents, records, communications, and information as outlined below to the Committee by June 6, 2024."
They also questioned why "the Service is launching the Service’s Wolf Plan for a national recovery of the Gray Wolf population when the species is recovered should be delisted and management should be returned to the states."
The Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations have all agreed that gray wolves are recovered and should be delisted from endangered status. However, efforts to delist have been halted by environmental groups and judicial rulings. According to recent analysis by USFWS scientists indicate that gray wolf populations are healthy and self-sustaining.
In support of this position on April 30th H.R. 764 known as Trust Science Act passed in House Representatives aims remove gray wolf from endangered species list
