The Bureau of Land Management Monday agreed in a court filing to restart the land use planning process to ensure the sage grouse is properly protected, laying the groundwork to revoke plans implemented by the Trump administration.
The process will likely include new environmental reviews and reinstating the use of compensatory mitigation to offset the effects of oil and gas drilling in grouse habitat. In a news release issued yesterday, the BLM stated that the bird shares the sagebrush ecosystem with 350 other species of wildlife, including mule deer and pronghorn antelope.
The BLM says it will comply with a court order to begin re-consideration of whether a withdrawal from mineral location and entry, which could potentially limit hard rock mining in Sagebrush Focal Areas, is necessary for the conservation of the greater sage-grouse
photo BLM
