[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1819 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1819

   To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide for State 
management of population segments of gray wolves in the United States, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2011

  Mrs. Miller of Michigan (for herself, Mr. Flake, Mr. Matheson, Mrs. 
Lummis, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Chaffetz, Mr. Kline, and Mr. Benishek) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide for State 
management of population segments of gray wolves in the United States, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``State Wildlife Management Act of 
2011''.

SEC. 2. STATUS OF POPULATION SEGMENTS OF GRAY WOLVES.

    (a) Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1533) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Status of Gray Wolves.--
            ``(1) Status of northern rocky mountain distinct population 
        segment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of law (including regulations), any gray wolf 
                that is located in any State that is within the range 
                of the Northern Rocky Mountain distinct population 
                segment or anywhere in the State of Nevada or Colorado 
                shall not be treated as an endangered species or 
                threatened species and shall not be subject to this 
                Act, except as provided in subparagraph (B).
                    ``(B) State management authority.--
                            ``(i) Each of the States that is within the 
                        range of the Northern Rocky Mountain distinct 
                        population segment, and each of Nevada and 
                        Colorado, may manage all gray wolves within its 
                        boundaries for so long as there are at least 
                        450 gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain 
                        distinct population segment.
                            ``(ii) If the number of gray wolves in such 
                        segment is less than 450 gray wolves, as 
                        demonstrated by the Secretary of the Interior, 
                        gray wolf populations within the Northern Rocky 
                        Mountain distinct population segment shall be 
                        temporarily treated as an endangered species or 
                        threatened species, as determined by the 
                        Secretary, and clause (i) shall not apply, 
                        until the Secretary determines that the number 
                        of gray wolves in such segment is equal to at 
                        least 450 during 2 consecutive years.
            ``(2) Status of western great lakes distinct population 
        segment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of the law (including regulations), any gray 
                wolf that is located in any State that is within the 
                range of the Western Great Lakes distinct population 
                segment shall not be treated as an endangered species 
                or threatened species and shall not be subject to this 
                Act, except as provided in subparagraph (B).
                    ``(B) State management authority.--
                            ``(i) Each of the States that is within the 
                        range of the Western Great Lakes distinct 
                        population segment may manage all gray wolves 
                        within its boundaries for so long as the number 
                        of gray wolves within its boundaries is--
                                    ``(I) for Minnesota, at least 
                                1,200;
                                    ``(II) for Michigan, at least 150; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) for Wisconsin, at least 
                                150.
                            ``(ii) If the number of gray wolves in such 
                        a State is less than the number specified for 
                        the State in clause (i), as demonstrated by the 
                        Secretary of the Interior, gray wolf 
                        populations in that State that are part of the 
                        Western Great Lakes distinct population segment 
                        shall be temporarily treated as an endangered 
                        species or threatened species, as determined by 
                        the Secretary, and clause (i) shall not apply 
                        with respect to that State, until the Secretary 
                        determines that the number of gray wolves in 
                        such State is equal to at least that number 
                        during 2 consecutive years.
            ``(3) Status of arizona and new mexico gray wolf.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of the law (including regulations) any gray 
                wolf that is located in Arizona or New Mexico shall not 
                be treated as an endangered species or threatened 
                species and shall not be subject to this Act, except as 
                provided in subparagraph (B).
                    ``(B) State management authority.--
                            ``(i) Each of the States of Arizona and New 
                        Mexico may manage all gray wolves within its 
                        boundaries for so long as the combined total 
                        number of gray wolves in those States is at 
                        least 100 gray wolves.
                            ``(ii) If the combined total number of gray 
                        wolves in those States is less than the number 
                        specified in clause (i), as demonstrated by the 
                        Secretary of the Interior, gray wolf 
                        populations in those States shall be 
                        temporarily treated as an endangered species or 
                        threatened species, as determined by the 
                        Secretary, and clause (i) shall not apply with 
                        respect to those States, until the Secretary 
                        determines that the combined total number of 
                        gray wolves in those States is equal to at 
                        least that number during 2 consecutive years.
            ``(4) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Gray wolf.--The term `gray wolf' means any 
                taxonomic group traditionally associated with the gray 
                wolf, including Canus lupus, Canus lupus lycaon, and 
                Canus lupus baileyi, regardless of specific taxonomy of 
                any particular gray wolf variety as a species, 
                subspecies, or other designation.
                    ``(B) Northern rocky mountain distinct population 
                segment.--The term `Northern Rocky Mountain distinct 
                population segment' means the distinct population 
                segment of gray wolf described by the United States 
                Fish and Wildlife Service in the final rule entitled 
                `Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final 
                Rule Designating the Northern Rocky Mountain Population 
                Segment of Gray Wolf as a Distinct Population Segment 
                and Removing the Distinct Population Segment From the 
                Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife' (73 
                Fed. Reg. 10514 (February 27, 2008)).
                    ``(C) Western great lakes distinct population 
                segment.--The term `Western Great Lakes distinct 
                population segment' means the distinct population 
                segment of gray wolf described by the United States 
                Fish and Wildlife Service in the Final Rule to Delist 
                Gray Wolf Western Great Lakes Distinct Population 
                Segment, as published February 8, 2007 (72 Fed. Reg. 
                6052).''.
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