Trust the Science Act

The Trust the Science Act would direct the Department of the Interior to reinstate a 2020 rule that removed gray wolves from the federal list of endangered and threatened species in the lower 48 United States. A federal court vacated that rule in 2022, which restored gray wolf protections. If enacted, this bill would reverse that court decision by requiring the rule to be reissued, effectively removing federal protections for gray wolves again, except for the Mexican wolf subspecies.

The bill also includes a provision that would prevent the reissued rule from being challenged in court. This means that if the bill passes, citizens and organizations would not be able to pursue legal challenges to the wolf delisting decision. The practical impact would be that gray wolves in most of the lower 48 states would lose federal endangered species protections, potentially allowing states to manage wolf populations with fewer federal restrictions. Currently, the bill is in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.