A Montana-based federal judge on Tuesday sided with a broad coalition of environmental groups and blocked the Fish and Wildlife Service’s effort to remove gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protections.
In a lengthy and much-awaited opinion, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy directed the federal agency to reassess the iconic canine in light of various threats. Molloy cited what he called “serious and pervasive” deficiencies in parts of the agency’s work, including a failure to take into account the gray wolf’s expansive historical range.
“It also made numerous unfounded assumptions regarding the future condition of the wolf despite recognizing limitations in those conditions or bias in the population estimates utilized,” Molloy wrote in the 105-page opinion.
Citing the “pervasiveness” of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s errors, Molloy struck down the agency’s rule that removed the gray wolf population from its listing status under the ESA. The decision by the Clinton administration appointee stirred applause from the myriad organizations that have fought to retain the gray wolf’s status.
