Press Releases

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Representative Rosendale offered three amendments to H.R. 2026 during a markup in the House Natural Resources Committee. The bill would send millions of dollars abroad in the name of global species conservation, when there is still much work to do at home. 

The first amendment would prevent the designation of the Greater Sage-Grouse as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which would devastate Montana’s energy and agriculture industries, and our way of life. This designation is completely unnecessary thanks to successful state-run management efforts that resulted in the recovery of Montana’s Greater Sage-Grouse population. Watch Rep. Rosendale’s Remarks on his Greater Sage-Grouse amendment HERE.

The second amendment aims to delist the Grizzly Bear as a threatened species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Populations under the ESA. In recent years the Grizzly populations have exploded, and populations now significantly exceed recovery goals. As a result, human-bear conflicts have risen as bear populations expand into historically unpopulated territory. They pose a serious danger to livestock and the residents who live in these areas. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under the Trump Administration attempted to delist the Grizzly Bear, but was blocked by an activist judge. Rep. Rosendale is committed to ensuring de-listing gets done. Watch Rep. Rosendale’s Remarks on his Grizzly Bear amendment HERE.

Rep. Rosendale’s third amendment would prevent the Gray Wolf from being re-listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. In 2020, the Gray Wolf was rightly delisted in the lower 48 states. Now, at the behest of radical environmentalist groups, President Biden’s U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is conducting a comprehensive review of the status of the Gray Wolf. This is the first step to again listing the species under the ESA. Today, Montana is home to more than 1200 wolves. That is 800% higher than the federal management objective of 150. Furthermore, Wolves are are predators, and they pose a serious threat to both people and livestock. The status review that is currently being conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is purely political and has no factual or scientific basis. Watch Rep. Rosendale’s Remarks on the Gray Wolf amendment HERE.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Endangered Species Act is broken,” Representative Rosendale said. The Left uses the Endangered Species Act to hinder energy production, farming, ranching, and resource extraction. It’s extremely disappointing that instead of devoting our time and attention to addressing a very real issue that affects millions of Americans, this committee is focusing on adding on more red tape and expanding species conservation abroad.”

###