Sen. Barrasso presses nominee on delisting of Greater Yellowstone grizzly

Sen. Barrasso asked when the Fish and Wildlife Service would delist the Greater Yellowstone grizzly, saying the population has been “fully recovered for 20 years” after falling to about 100 and now numbering well over 1,000.

The question came during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing in which the nominee, identified in the transcript only as a deputy-secretary nominee, agreed that the Greater Yellowstone population "has met its recovery criteria." The nominee also cited the Northern Continental Divide population as meeting recovery standards.

"You are absolutely right. It's met and exceeded its recovery criteria, and that's fantastic news," the nominee said, adding that "there is a petition before us" and that Wyoming has asked to treat the Greater Yellowstone population as a distinct population segment.

The nominee cautioned that the path taken to delist matters for whether a court will overturn or sustain the decision. He said the department is reviewing delisting criteria and that, "regardless of the outcome of my nomination, I will continue to work with Wyoming on that particular issue."

Why it matters: delisting a population under the Endangered Species Act transfers primary management responsibility and can change how federal and state authorities regulate take, habitat protections and land use. The committee exchange did not announce a timetable or decision; the nominee described ongoing review and legal considerations rather than a concrete delisting action.

The committee moved on to other items after the exchange; no formal action on grizzly status was taken during this hearing.