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Montana news about the environment, natural resources, wildlife, climate change and more.

Montana sues feds over Yellowstone bison management plan

Bison in Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin.
Jim Peaco/NPS (PD)
/
National Park Service
Bison in Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin.

Gov. Greg Gianforte and two state agencies are suing the federal government. They argue Yellowstone National Park’s new bison management plan violates federal law.

Gianforte has been critical of the National Park Service’s approach to the issue since the agency announced it would begin drafting the plan in 2022. The governor says the park service failed to engage with the state “in a meaningful and transparent manner as required by law.”

The Montana Department of Livestock, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks join Gianforte in the suit. They say the bison management plan is based on deficient analysis and puts livestock at risk for the reproductive disease brucellosis. The plan allows for larger bison herds in the park, and state officials say that will lead to bison migration into surrounding ranchlands.

Studies have confirmed cases of brucellosis transmission between elk and cattle, but not between bison and cattle in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The National Park Service pointed to that data when it announced the new management plan.

The suit was filed Tuesday in federal district court.

Shaylee covers state government and politics for Montana Public Radio. Please share tips, questions and concerns at 406-539-1677 or shaylee.ragar@mso.umt.edu.  
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