Yellowstone to update bison management environmental review
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The National Park Service is reopening environmental review for Yellowstone’s bison management plan because bison migration patterns have become less predictable since the 2024 analysis. The agency plans a supplemental impact statement and may add new management options, revisit issues already debated, and address concerns raised in related lawsuits. This matters to ranchers, tribal nations, state agencies, conservation groups, and others involved in bison management around Yellowstone in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Public comments are open until May 29, 2026, and NPS will use those comments, along with studies and analyses, to shape the draft supplemental review before issuing a final version.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- NPS will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Yellowstone’s bison management plan.
- The agency will add new management alternatives and may revisit issues from the 2024 environmental review.
- Public comments, studies, and analyses are invited through May 29, 2026, before the draft supplement is issued.
Obligations
What this law requires
Members of the public must submit comments on the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement scoping process by the specified methods if they want their input considered in developing the SEIS: electronically via the Yellowstone bison EIS portal or by hard copy mail to the NPS address provided. Comments sent after the deadline will only be considered to the extent practicable.
Comment submissions must not be made by fax, email, or any method other than the two specified submission methods (electronic portal or hard copy mail) if the filer wants the comment accepted for consideration.
The National Park Service must prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to update the 2024 Yellowstone National Park Bison Management Plan Final EIS because bison migration patterns have become less predictable and the prior analysis may no longer reliably reflect current conditions.
The National Park Service must develop one or more new alternatives for the SEIS, which may include elements previously dismissed from detailed analysis or elements not previously considered.
The National Park Service must provide additional analysis of the reasonably foreseeable effects of the new alternative or alternatives in the SEIS.