Trump Administration Proposes Transferring Grizzly Bear Oversight to States

The proposed rule, unveiled alongside the governors of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, seeks to grant greater authority to states where Republican leadership has long pushed to remove federal protections for the animals. With fewer than 2,000 grizzly bears remaining in isolated populations across the lower 48 states, critics contend that the move invites increased mortality at a time when the species is already struggling to recover.

Legal challenges appear imminent. Attorneys at Earthjustice and representatives from the Center for Biological Diversity have signaled their readiness to contest the rule in court, characterizing the move as an anti-science maneuver designed to appease the livestock industry. While the Interior Department maintains that the proposal does not alter the bear's formal status under the Endangered Species Act, opponents argue the shift in management is a calculated effort to weaken federal safeguards. Greg LeDonne of the Western Watersheds Project dismissed the administration's justification, stating that the decision is driven by politics rather than the biological requirements of the species.