The Federal government is considering removing the gray wolf from the list of species protected under the Endangered Species Act, Deseret News reported.
Some Utah politicians are pleased to hear about the policy change.
"I appreciate the Fish and Wildlife Service hearing our concerns and making this right decision," Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, said. "An unmanaged wolf population threatens livestock and native wildlife, and threatens our communities. I know that our wildlife managers in Utah and throughout the West are fully capable of managing the wolf populations in a way that benefits all."
The Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that the species had been recovered, and that it was no longer crucial for the wolves to be considered endangered. No wolves have been documented in the state of Utah recently.
The agency claimed it has sound data that proves the wolves' population has been restored in some regions of the Western Great Lakes and Northern Rocky Mountains.
If the proposal goes through, the state's wildlife management agency professionals would be responsible for how the wolves are handled.
Bob Brister with the Utah Environmental Congress is not as happy to hear the news.
"We are deeply disappointed with the Obama administration's decision to delist the gray wolves in the West," he said. "State wildlife management agencies have proven to be either incapable or disinclined to manage wolves in an ecologically responsible and humane way."
The agency claimed taking the grey wolf off of the list will allow them to focus on the Mexican wolf, that lives in the Southwest. Experts believe this subspecies is at a much greater risk of extinction than the grey wolf which has been essentially recovered, according to data.
"For quite some time, the gray wolf has been 'recovered' and the issues with their being listed as an endangered species has limited states from employing responsible management practices, thus allowing the wolves to terrorize public land users and other animal species," said Rep. Rob Bishop, another Utah republican. "If the agency ultimately chooses to delist the wolf, management of the species will be rightfully put in the hands of the states."
Brister claims the decision is unnecessary, and is not exercising the best logic, especially considering the fact that there are currently no wolves in Utah.
"We have been campaigning for the last three years to get the wolves back into Utah, so this is very disappointing to us," he said.
