Sage Grouse Update

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Grumpy
Peak Putters' Land-Use Coordinator
Peak Putters' Land-Use Coordinator
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Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:38 am
Location: Kennewick, WA

Sage Grouse Update

Postby Grumpy » Mon Jun 01, 2015 11:13 am

In the May newsletter, we reported how Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) succeeded in adding language to the Defense Authorization measure prohibiting for 10 years the Fish and Wildlife Service from listing the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The House has since completed action on that measure and the Bishop language remains in the bill. The White House has now threatened to veto of the defense bill because of the Bishop language, but no one at this point is taking that veto threat very seriously. The Senate has not completed work on its version of the authorization measure so there are still many twists and turns to this Congressional saga.

Meanwhile, the Obama Administration, faced with a court mandated deadline of September on whether to list the sage grouse as an endangered species, just announced the latest step in its efforts to preserve critical sage grouse habitat in ten western states. Fourteen final environmental impact statements covering a large scale conservation effort by the Bureau of Land Management were released on May 23rd. Once published in the Federal Register, a thirty day comment period will be open. This effort will eventually lead to amending more than 100 land use management plans by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management affecting the use of millions of acres of federal lands. This effort along with efforts by various state governments and private property owners is a mad rush to protect significant habitat so the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) does not have to decide the bird must be listed as an endangered species under ESA. Sadly, whatever the FWS decides to do, another court battle is likely to ensue.

If that bird only knew the angst it is creating in the halls of Congress, the Pentagon, the White House and much of the west. It clearly has a lot of clout!
Dave
Have Scout, will wheel...Someday...Maybe


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