Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador formally urged the federal government this week to remove grizzly bears from Endangered Species Act protections and transfer greater management authority to the states.

Labrador’s comments were submitted in response to a Trump administration proposal issued July 17 that would revise the Endangered Species Act’s “4(d) rule” as it applies to grizzly bears. The rule governs what activities affecting a listed species are permissible.

Background

The Biden administration had released its own version of the proposal in January 2025. The Trump administration subsequently conducted a fresh review before putting forward its revised version this summer.

While Labrador expressed backing for the direction of the new proposal, he told the Daily Fly the current draft does not go far enough. He supports cutting back federal oversight and expanding state flexibility in managing grizzly populations, but believes further changes are warranted beyond what the administration has proposed.

What’s Next

The formal comment period gives state officials and other stakeholders a window to shape the final rule before the administration issues a decision. Whether the Trump administration incorporates Labrador’s recommendations into a final rule remains to be seen.

The push reflects a broader effort by Idaho officials to reclaim state authority over wildlife and land management decisions historically controlled at the federal level — a recurring tension in Idaho politics that touches everything from wolf populations to water rights. Southern Idaho farmers are separately navigating record water demand cuts driven in part by federal allocation decisions this season.