H.R. 1245 would direct the Secretary of the Interior, without regard to other provisions of law, to reissue the final rule, “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Population of Grizzly Bears From the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife.” The bill also would exempt that reissued rule from judicial review. The rule was submitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2017, and took effect on July 31, 2017. A court order in 2018 reinstated protection of the grizzly bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under H.R. 1245, the reinstated rule would again remove grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from protection under the ESA.
USFWS is authorized to collect permitting fees for lawful activities that involve protected species, including scientific research, conservation, and unintentional taking of animals while performing permitted activities. Under H.R. 1245, permits would no longer be required for such activities involving grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Permitting fees are recorded in the budget as offsetting receipts (or reductions in direct spending) and are available to be spent without further appropriation. Using information from USFWS, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1245 would reduce those receipts and the consequent spending by an insignificant amount over the 2024-2033 period so that the net increase in direct spending would be negligible.
