I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6267 
To establish a process for State determinations with respect to Canis lupus 
reintroduction, to protect ungulate, stock animal, and dog populations, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2020 
Mr. TIPTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish a process for State determinations with respect 
to Canis lupus reintroduction, to protect ungulate, stock 
animal, and dog populations, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘State- and Science- 
based Gray Wolf Reintroduction Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) For the last 20 years, scientists at the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service have rec-
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ommended against further reintroduction of gray 
wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains where the 
species has already exceeded recovery goals. 
(2) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
wrote in the final rule titled ‘‘Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule To Re-
classify and Remove the Gray Wolf From the List 
of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in Portions 
of the Conterminous United States; Establishment 
of Two Special Regulations for Threatened Gray 
Wolves’’ (68 Fed. Reg. 15803; April 1, 2003) that 
‘‘[e]stablishing additional populations would provide 
no additional genetic benefits to wolf recovery under 
the Act. . .’’ and ‘‘new recovery programs are not 
necessary to achieve recovery of the gray wolf under 
the Act either as formerly listed in the 48 States 
and Mexico or under the new listings established by 
this final rule’’. 
(3) Under President Obama, the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule on 
April 2, 2009, titled ‘‘Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule To Identify the 
Western Great Lakes Populations of Gray Wolves as 
a Distinct Population Segment and To Revise the 
List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife’’ (74 
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Fed. Reg. 15070), which states that the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service has identified a dis-
tinct population segment of the gray wolf in the 
Northern Rocky Mountains of the United States and 
revises the List of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife by removing gray wolves within the North-
ern Rocky Mountain distinct population segment 
boundary, except in Wyoming. 
(4) Under President Obama, the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule on 
September 10, 2012 (77 Fed. Reg. 55530), that was 
reinstated on March 3, 2017, by the decision of the 
United States Court of Appeals for the District of 
Columbia (No. 14–5300), and further republished on 
May 1, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 20284), which states 
that the best scientific and commercial data avail-
able indicate that gray wolves in Wyoming have re-
covered and are no longer in need of protection 
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. 
SEC. 3. STATE REINTRODUCTION OF CANIS LUPUS. 
(a) STATE PETITION
FOR REINTRODUCTION.—If 
Canis lupus is listed as an endangered species or threat-
ened species pursuant to section 4(a) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)), or is part of 
a monitoring strategy under section (4)(g) of such Act, 
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a State may not reintroduce Canis lupus within the bound-
aries of such State unless— 
(1) the Governor of such State submits to the 
Secretary a petition that includes the information 
described in subsection (b); and 
(2) such petition is approved by the Secretary. 
(b) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The information de-
scribed in this subsection is the following: 
(1) A science-based finding from the State fish 
and wildlife department that reintroduction of Canis 
lupus is necessary— 
(A) to support a Canis lupus recovery plan 
developed under section 4(f) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)); or 
(B) to support Canis lupus monitoring 
under section 4(g) of such Act. 
(2) A description of the impact that Canis 
lupus reintroduction will have on the wild ungulate 
population of the State. 
(3) A description of— 
(A) the wild ungulate population manage-
ment objectives of such State; 
(B) the Federal resources the State uses to 
maintain and meet such objectives; and 
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ecutive of an affected county submits to the Secretary a 
recommendation under subsection (c)(2)(B) that the rel-
evant petition be denied, the Secretary may not approve 
such petition pursuant to subsection (a)(2). 
(e) PROTECTION OF STOCK ANIMALS AND DOGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary approves a 
petition pursuant to subsection (a)(2), and if a per-
son meets the requirements described in paragraph 
(2), such person may take a Canis lupus that is at-
tacking a stock animal or dog. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS DESCRIBED.—The require-
ments described in this paragraph are the following: 
(A) The person is not— 
(i) trespassing; or 
(ii) on land administered by the Di-
rector of the National Park Service. 
(B) The person did not intentionally bait, 
feed, or otherwise attract the Canis lupus. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF AN AFFECTED COUN-
TY.—The term ‘‘chief executive of an affected coun-
ty’’ means the highest elected or appointed executive 
of each county in which Canis lupus would be re-
introduced pursuant to a State petition submitted 
under subsection (a). 
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(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(3) STATE
FISH
AND
WILDLIFE
DEPART-
MENT.—The term ‘‘State fish and wildlife depart-
ment’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
2 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 
(16 U.S.C. 669a). 
(4) STOCK ANIMAL.—The term ‘‘stock animal’’ 
means cattle, sheep, horses, goats, and other domes-
tic animals ordinarily raised or used on a farm. 
(5) TAKE.—The term ‘‘take’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 3 of the Endangered Spe-
cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1532). 
(6) WILD UNGULATE POPULATION.—The term 
‘‘wild ungulate population’’ means deer, elk, moose, 
bighorn sheep, mountain goats, antelope, and bison. 
Æ 
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