Legislation known as the Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025 has passed a key U.S. House committee in Congress, sparking alarm from wildlife advocates who said the move puts Montana's bear population at risk.
The bill would delist grizzly bears and turn management over to states.
Bradley Williams, deputy legislative director of wildlife and public lands for the Sierra Club, called it part of a broader effort to manage species based on economic interests instead of scientific recovery goals. He said it is dangerous for an animal playing a vital role in the ecosystem.
"We’ve seen a lot of efforts through the Congressional Review Act to delist species and overturn administrative decisions that are based on science, and then individual bills like this one," Williams noted. "It's just been an overall effort to try and legislate individual species instead of focusing on the decisions that come from the agencies."
Williams argued at a time of rapid species decline due to climate change, following the best available science is more critical than ever. He pointed to a recent Biden administration decision to maintain protections for grizzly bears as evidence the science does not support delisting. Supporters of the bill argued it would reduce regulatory red tape for industries like ranching and logging.
Williams countered the real issue is a chronic lack of funding to enforce the Endangered Species Act, which he calls the most effective conservation law in history.
"If Congress wants to do something to help industry – and to help ease the red tape, and to try and make sure we're being a good steward of our environment and also making sure industry is thriving – then we need to fully fund the Endangered Species Act and appropriate that money, instead of focusing on delisting individual species that are inconvenient," Williams urged.
He also pushed back on arguments grizzly bears pose a significant threat to human safety, noting fatal attacks are extremely rare. And he cited the economic and cultural value of healthy grizzly populations, particularly for Montana's tourism industry and Indigenous communities.
