Montana, Federal Government Agree to Drop Lawsuit over Yellowstone Bison Management Plan
The state says the park’s new environmental review may address its claims as tribes and conservation groups back ending the case.
- On Monday, Montana and the U.S. Department of the Interior jointly requested dismissal of a 2024 lawsuit challenging the Yellowstone National Park Bison Management Plan, which U.S. District Judge Brian Morris granted Tuesday afternoon.
- Montana Governor Greg Gianforte launched the lawsuit in 2024, alleging the National Park Service failed to consult the state and that the plan's about 5,000-bison target increased risks of landscape damage and brucellosis transmission.
- A new Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement, or SEIS, announced by the National Park Service in April, influenced the state's decision to drop the litigation, as the process offers potential to address or resolve Montana's underlying claims.
- Encouraged by the decision, Chairman Floyd Azure of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes said the dismissal allows parties to focus on the current Bison Management Plan, which remains in effect.
- The dismissal does not resolve all legal challenges to the bison plan, as a separate lawsuit filed by the Alliance For the Wild Rockies and Council on Fish and Wildlife remains scheduled for a November hearing.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Daily Montanan
Montana moves to dismiss lawsuit against Yellowstone National Park bison plan
Montana has filed to dismiss its lawsuit against the federal government which challenged the National Park Service’s bison management plan in Yellowstone National Park. The case, filed in Billings federal court in late 2024, argued that park officials intentionally cut the state out of management plans and ignored the agency’s own scientific consensus in order […]
Missoulian
Montana's motion to dismiss bison lawsuit
Plaintiff State of Montana (Montana) and Defendants Secretary Burgum, et al. (Federal Defendants) file this joint motion for voluntary dismissal of the above captioned case, without prejudice.
ABC FOX Montana
KULR-TVMontana requests dismissal of its lawsuit against the Yellowstone Bison Management Plan
YELLOWSTONE, Mont. A new environmental impact study for bison management at Yellowstone National Park prompted the State of Montana to drop its 2024 lawsuit challenging the National Parks Service, according to recent court documents.
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