BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A court ruling that blocked grizzly bear hunts in the U.S. West carries far wider political implications amid a push by Congress for sweeping changes to how imperiled species are managed.

A House committee on Wednesday is scheduled to begin considering changes to the Endangered Species Act. Lawmakers who back the idea also want to remove protections for Yellowstone grizzly bears and wolves in the Great Lakes region and prevent those actions from being challenged in court by wildlife advocates. Monday's ruling restored grizzly protections in and around Yellowstone National Park.

It's been seized on by Republicans as the latest example of supposed flaws to a 1973 law meant to shields plants and animals from possible extinction. It likely will force federal wildlife officials to reconsider their piecemeal approach to restoring bruins across the Northern Rockies.