Policy Shift on Sage-Grouse Conservation
On Monday, the Trump administration announced revisions to protections for the greater sage-grouse in eight western U.S. states, facilitating increased federal land use for energy and mineral exploration.
The Bureau of Land Management stated that the updated plans would allocate more area for development compared to the 2015 regulations, yet still preserve critical habitats for the endangered bird across about 65 million acres of sagebrush terrain.
These adjustments implement directives from two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year, which focused on enhancing U.S. energy output and independence.
"We are strengthening American energy security while ensuring the sage-grouse continues to thrive," said Acting Bureau of Land Management Director Bill Groffy.
Conservation Changes and Impacts
The greater sage-grouse became eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act in the early 2010s due to sharp population drops.
The new proposal eliminates an annual monitoring system designed to track declines in the ground-dwelling bird's numbers and removes safeguards from over 4 million acres of sage-grouse habitat in Utah.
The modifications also apply to Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming, and California.
Environmental advocates cautioned that expanding federal land for energy extraction could drive the species toward extinction and negatively affect other wildlife.
"Trump's reckless actions will speed the extinction of greater sage-grouse by allowing unfettered fossil fuel extraction and other destructive development across tens of millions of acres of public lands," said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
