BILLINGS, MT (AP)— The Biden administration has asked an appeals court to revive a Trump-era rule that lifted remaining Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the U.S.
If successful, the move would put the predators under states’ oversight and would allow hunting in the Great Lakes region, which had been suspended by a court order. Protections will remain in place pending the court’s decision.
Friday’s court filing follows years of political acrimony as wolves have repopulated some areas of the western U.S., sometimes attacking livestock and eating big game.
Environmental groups want that expansion to continue. Gray wolves occupy only a fraction of their historic range.
