{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lummis.senate.gov/press-releases/senate-western-caucus-members-applaud-trump-doi-move-returning-management-of-grizzly-bears-to-the-west/", "Senate Western Caucus Members Applaud Trump DOI Move Returning Management of Grizzly Bears to the West", "2026-07-15", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "WY", "Cynthia M. Lummis", "L000571", "www.lummis.senate.gov", "lummis", "https://www.lummis.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014Senate Western Caucus members today applauded the Trump Department of the Interior for proposing new flexibility for western states in managing grizzly bears.\n\nThe announcement, made by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum alongside Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Idaho Governor Brad Little, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik, proposes a revised rule to increase management flexibility for grizzly bears in areas where the species has met, and in many cases exceeded, federal recovery benchmarks. The updated proposal ensures the Endangered Species Act is being used as Congress intended while continuing to support the species\u2019 long-term conservation.\n\n\u201cFor decades, Wyoming and other western states have proven that we know how to conserve and manage grizzly bear populations,\u201d said Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis. \u201cWestern grizzly bear populations have been recovered for years, yet previous Democrat administrations chose to play politics with delisting instead of following the science. Our ranchers, wildlife managers, and rural communities live alongside these animals every day, and that experience is exactly why they should be the ones making these management calls, not bureaucrats thousands of miles away. I am pleased that President Trump and Secretary Burgum are keeping their commitment to returning power to the states and trusting states to manage what we\u2019ve already worked to recover.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s time for Wyoming \u2013 not Washington \u2013 to be in charge of managing grizzly bears. The Trump administration is putting power back into the hands of states and local communities who understand the situation and the science the best,\u201d said Senator John Barrasso. \u201cThe evidence is clear. The grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are thriving and do not need protection under the Endangered Species Act. In Wyoming, we\u2019ve invested more than $50 million in this effort. We have a strong and proven track record of science-based management and have played a leading role in this successful recovery. I am proud to work with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Director of Fish and Wildlife Services Brian Nesvik to ensure Wyoming can continue to properly manage these bears to a healthy population.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s long past time to delist the grizzly bear,\u201d said Senator Steve Daines. \u201cI commend Secretary Burgum and his team for recognizing this and taking a good first step in the process by expanding state management of the grizzly.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s proposed rule marks an important step towards returning management of grizzly populations to the state level where it belongs,\u201d said Senator Tim Sheehy. \u201cI look forward to working with the Trump Administration going forward to delist the grizzly bear and support the needs of local communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe recovery of the grizzly bear in the West is a conservation success story made possible by decades of work from state, tribal, federal and local conservation partners,\u201d said Senator Mike Crapo. \u201cFor years, I have advocated for returning grizzly bear management to the states as recovery objectives and benchmarks have been achieved. Secretary Burgum\u2019s announcement moves us one step closer to allowing Idaho wildlife professionals to manage a recovered grizzly population in a way that protects both the species and Idaho communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s abundantly clear Idaho\u2019s grizzly bear populations have widely exceeded recovery goals,\u201d said Senator Jim Risch. \u201cIncreasing state authority to manage grizzly bears ensures our own local wildlife agencies, who understand Idaho\u2019s environment best, can follow the science and make commonsense conservation decisions without bureaucratic inefficiencies.\u201d\n\nRead more here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-16T07:21:44Z", "2026-07-16T07:23:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lummis.senate.gov/press-releases/senate-western-caucus-members-applaud-trump-doi-move-returning-management-of-grizzly-bears-to-the-west/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7916698232293129, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}