BGOV Bill Analysis: S. J. Res. 69, Block Barred Owl Removal Rule

A Biden-era US Fish and Wildlife Service rule to cull more than 450,000 barred owls in the Pacific Northwest and California would be overturned using the Congressional Review Act under S. J. Res. 69, which the Senate rejected in an Oct. 28 procedural vote.

The FWS authorized the “lethal removal” of barred owls in Washington, Oregon, and California because of threats they pose to spotted owls’ survival, according to a record of decision issued in August 2024. The plan provided tailored frameworks for federal, state, and tribal government agencies, as well as private landowners, to conduct prescribed removals through ...