US sued in bid to force decision on Rockies wolf protections

Wildlife advocates are suing federal officials after they missed a deadline to decide if protections for wolves should be restored across the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains. Republican-led states in the region have made it easier to kill the predators.

That's raised worries that wolf numbers could be reduced to unsustainable levels. The Biden administration said in a preliminary finding last September that protections for wolves may need to be restored.

A final determination was due June 1. The Humane Society of the United States and Center for Biological Diversity on Tuesday asked a federal judge in Montana to order officials to make a decision.