More Drilling, Mining on Sage Grouse Lands Under Federal Plan (1)

New Interior Department plans for the greater sage grouse would withdraw some current conservation measures for the species and allow more oil and gas drilling, coal mining, and other development within the bird’s Western habitat.

The Bureau of Land Management released six final proposed amendments for greater sage grouse management in seven states Dec. 6. The revised plans eliminate “focal areas,” a subset of about 11 million acres of priority habitat on BLM lands that would have been permanently withdrawn from any potential mineral extraction in the 2015 plans.

The agency said the new plan would increase ...