NCBA and PLC Secure House Passage of Gray Wolf Delisting
December 18, 2025
Today, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, introduced by Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) passed the House with a bipartisan vote. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) have been strong supporters of this legislation which would reissue the 2020 rule delisting gray wolves in the lower 48 states and ensure that the delisting cannot be overturned in federal court again.
“For too long, ranchers have grappled with the pendulum swing of regulatory determination on the gray wolf. The last three presidents have concluded that the gray wolf is fully recovered, yet lawsuits from activist groups have forced the agency to back away from sound science and keep the wolf listed,” said NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “Restoring the 2020 wolf delisting through the Pet and Livestock Protection Act will give management decisions and certainty back to cattle producers, who are suffering financially and emotionally from wolf depredations that increase every year. NCBA extends our gratitude to Congress for passing this legislation and urge the Senate to act.”
Gray wolves were delisted during the first Trump administration in 2020, but this rule was vacated by a U.S. District Courting ruling in 2022. Since being listed under the ESA in 1974, the gray wolf population has seen tremendous recovery, exceeding recovery goals by 300%.
“The science is clear. Gray wolves have long since recovered and remain listed only because of political pressure from activist groups. Ranchers and rural communities across the West face the daily consequences of unchecked wolf populations, which threaten both livestock and pets,” said PLC President and Colorado rancher Tim Canterbury. “Returning management authority to the states ensures that decisions are made closer to those directly impacted on the ground. Ranchers proudly support this bill, and PLC thanks Reps. Tiffany and Boebert for standing with ranchers and rural communities.”
Source: NCBA & PLC
