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Utah House debates resolution urging U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to downlist wolves, seeks state management plan
Summary
The Utah House debated HJR 12, a resolution urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to downlist gray wolves and directing the state to draft a wolf-management plan that would include livestock compensation; sponsors emphasized state management authority while some members asked for clarifications on safety and compensation mechanisms.
The Utah House considered House Joint Resolution 12 on the floor, a nonbinding resolution urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to move gray wolves from the endangered to the threatened category and directing state wildlife officials to prepare a management plan.
Sponsor remarks framed the resolution as a way to restore state management authority over wolves if federal protections are relaxed. The sponsor said the plan should address livestock depredation and direct the Division of Wildlife Resources to “compensate landowners for losses not covered by other mitigation sources” if depredation occurs.
During floor debate, members asked whether the resolution addresses public safety and whether drafting the management plan could inadvertently reduce existing safeguards for wildlife or private property. The sponsor and supporters said safety was not the primary focus of the resolution; instead, they emphasized rapid restoration of state management tools once federal downlisting occurs and measures to address livestock losses.
No formal statutory change was proposed on the floor; the resolution urges a federal action (a downlisting) and a state agency response (a management plan). The transcript records discussion and an amendment to the resolution on the floor but does not provide a formal roll-call final outcome for HJR 12 within the excerpt provided.
