Delisting Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains: Congress Cries Wolf

摘要

A battle is waging in the Northern Rocky Mountains, with environmental groups supporting the return of the wolf to the region to restore ecological balance, and the livestock industry fighting the species' return based on the threat it is perceived to pose to the industry's economic success. Recent federal court decisions in Montana regarding the delisting of wolves and in Wyoming regarding the FWS rejection of the Wyoming wolf management plan are the latest results of the ongoing fight. This year, Congress passed a resolution delisting the wolf and instructing the FWS to reconsider Wyoming's wolf management plan. This rider may threaten wolf recovery in the region, and precluding judicial review of the delisting undermines the partnership between courts and executive agencies that supports the modern administrative state.