Washington, D.C. – Today the Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to remove the Rocky Mountain gray wolf from the Endangered Species list in Montana and Idaho, but not Wyoming. U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, John Barrasso and Representative Cynthia Lummis, all R-Wyo., voiced their disappointment that wolves in Wyoming would continue to be listed as endangered species, despite their recovery numbers and a wolf management plan supported by the state legislature.

“Wolves should be taken off the Endangered Species list in Wyoming. I know how hard the state legislature has worked with all stakeholders to come up with a plan that adequately protected the wolf. There were concessions on every side to come up with the management plan that protects Wyoming’s wildlife and livestock. This is an unacceptable decision,” said Enzi.

“This is an outrage,” Barrasso said. “Wyoming has honored its commitment to recovering the wolf. We have met the goals set out by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fish and Wildlife Service is moving the goal posts in the middle of the game. The decision is a dramatic shift from our past discussions, and will only lead to more litigation, unanswered questions and delay.”

“Once again, bureaucrats in Washington are taking a stutter-step approach toward delisting the wolf population in the West and now see it fit to leave Wyoming behind,” Lummis said. “When the wolf was de-listed in Wyoming and our neighboring states last year, that decision was based on sound science. When well-funded environmental groups sued to relist, federal officials failed to adequately defend that science. Today’s announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the wolf in only a portion of the Rocky Mountain region is just the latest in a long line of poor management decisions.

“While I have full confidence in the ability of the Wyoming Legislature to continue working in good faith to fine tune our wolf management plan, until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service figures out how to defend their own actions in court, I fear all of Wyoming efforts may be in vain.”

The official announcement from the Fish and Wildlife Service can be found at www.fws.gov .