Did Congress inadvertently close the door on easing the listing of the Gunnison Sage Grouse? In the Cromnibus (FY 2015 appropriations) Congress in a rider prohibited Interior from writing or issuing any final listing rule under Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act...
Sage-Grouse
Utah Governor Herbert Signs Executive Order on the Greater Sage Grouse to Short Circuit Federal Listing
On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed an executive order directing state agencies to implement additional state-level protection measures aimed heading off a potential federal listing of the sage grouse as “threatened” or “endangered” under...
Interior Will Make Greater Sage-grouse Determination Despite Congressional Rider
In a January 26, 2015 letter responding to the bi-partisan co-chairs of the Western Governors’ Association State-Federal Sage-Grouse Task Force, Interior Secretary Jewell stated that, despite a congressional rider prohibiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from...
The Muddy Waters Surround the FWS’s Listing of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse
In the 2015 Appropriations Bill (Cromnibus), via a rider, Congress prohibited Interior from writing or issuing any final listing rule under Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) for several species of grouse. It now looks like that action could result in...