How do I submit a public comment on Grizzly Bear Listing on the List of Endangered?

The public comment window for this decision closed on August 17, 2026. The record of what was at stake stays on this page.

When is the public comment deadline for Grizzly Bear Listing on the List of Endangered?

The comment window closed on August 17, 2026.

Do public comments actually change federal decisions?

Yes, when they are substantive. Agencies are legally required to read and respond to substantive comments before finalizing a rule, and specific personal comments about real places and real uses carry far more weight than identical form letters. Courts have overturned rules when agencies ignored substantive comments.

High threat to public lands

Stop weakening federal protections for grizzly bears

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Grizzly Bear Listing on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife With a Revised Section 4(d) Rule; Proposed Revision of the Protective Regulations Under Section 4(d)

Fish and Wildlife Service· lower-48 StatesFederal Register 2026-14450 ↗

ESA Wildlife

Grizzly bear crossing sage flats, Greater Yellowstone · public land, held in trust for you

The government is revising rules that determine what actions can harm or kill grizzly bears in the lower 48 states.

What’s at risk

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states could lose key legal protections if the revised Section 4(d) rule allows more lethal take or fewer restrictions on killing. The agency is splitting the listing decision from the protective rules, which could leave bears vulnerable during the gap.

If this goes through

Weakened protective regulations could permanently expand circumstances under which grizzly bears can be killed, setting back decades of recovery progress.

Our plain-English read of the official notice ↗. Check it against the agency’s own words below.

In the agency’s own words

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or FWS), notify the public that we are making changes to our January 15, 2025, proposed rule to revise the protective regulations for the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the lower-48 States under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act or ESA). We are reopening the comment period because we are proposing substantive changes to the protective regulations in the January 15, 2025, proposed rule. Comments previously submitted will be considered and do not need to be resubmitted now. However, we invite comments on the new information…

Federal Register 2026-14450 ↗

The reporting behind this

From More Than Just Parks

Trump Administration to Legalize Killing of Endangered SpeciesSep 17, 2026

A memo signed by Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik rewrites the heart of the Endangered Species Act without a vote, a rule, or a single public comment.

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