The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass House Resolution 845 to remove endangered species protections from wolves.
The vote was largely along party lines. Montana Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing voted in support of the legislation.
This is the latest in a longstanding battle over federal protections for the carnivores. Congress moved to delist wolves in the Northern Rockies, which includes Montana, in 2011. This summer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was court ordered to reevaluate if wolves should be relisted in the West.
The Fish and Wildlife Service also attempted to delist wolves in 2020, but the move was struck down in the courts. Wolves are currently federally protected in 44 states, but would be returned to state-level management under this bill.
The bill also explicitly bans legal challenges.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
