The Bureau of Land Management has announced it will publish six draft supplemental environmental impact statements today for management of Greater Sage-Grouse habitat on public lands in seven Western states including Wyoming. The statements will highlight the collaborative process undergone in 2019 to develop plans that reflected the needs of Western communities and Greater Sage Grouse habitat. The draft SEISs address issues identified in an October 16, 2019, order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, which had placed a preliminary injunction on the implementation of 2019 BLM sage-grouse plans in the seven states. The draft SEISs explain how the range of alternatives analyzed in the 2019 EISs was developed, the incorporation by reference of the effects analysis from the 2015 EISs, and how best available science was used. Suspending implementation of the 2019 plans has affected programs and projects in the states from authorizations of renewable energy projects and oil and gas leases to grazing permit renewals and wildfire management. In Wyoming, a land exchange that would increase public access and improve resource management was blockedas just one example of the impact to the states. Currently, the BLM is complying with the court’s order by conforming its actions to the 2015 plans while the draft SEISs undergo public review and comment.
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