The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (U.S. BLM) released an updated conservation plan for the Greater sage-grouse habitat on Monday, opening up more land for oil drilling and mineral extraction in eight states.
Acting Director Bill Groffy stated, “We are enhancing America’s energy security while ensuring the continued breeding of the sage-grouse. Healthy sagebrush landscapes provide vitality to communities, sustain wildlife survival, and support economic development in the western region.”
The Greater sage-grouse, a wild bird known for its plump shape, chicken-like appearance, and intricate courtship dances, has been a focal point for environmental groups and the oil and gas industry in the debate over public land use for over a decade. An environmental organization has announced plans to sue the Bureau of Land Management over this updated plan.
The Greater sage-grouse was deemed eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act in the early 2010s. However, federal officials ultimately chose not to formally list it as threatened or endangered species and instead adopted a revised land management plan in 2015 that restricted oil drilling and other resource extraction industries in ten states to protect the bird.
The Bureau of Land Management noted that the updated plan opens up more land for industry in certain areas compared to the 2015 version while still protecting critical habitat. The agency stated that these plans align with the Trump administration’s “Unleashing American Energy” policy direction and relevant orders promoting national energy independence from the Department of the Interior.
This update will impact land in California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
Idaho Governor Brad Little welcomed the development, stating that the revised sage-grouse plan is a win for western states, expanding opportunities for energy and mineral development while protecting vital wildlife habitat. Little posted on the social media platform X, “When state and federal governments work together like this, our public lands thrive.”
According to data from the Bureau of Land Management, the agency is responsible for managing nearly 65 million acres of the largest proportion of Greater sage-grouse habitat in the United States.
Environmental groups have long been suing the federal government over development in sage-grouse habitat, prompting the agency to implement stricter regulations and close more public land to the oil industry.
Although the new regulations preserve critical Greater sage-grouse habitat, the Center for Biological Diversity has vowed to take the Trump administration to court, stating, “We will not let these dancing birds disappear without a fight.”
The new plan removes protections for 4.3 million acres of prime sage-grouse habitat, reduces the protected habitat area in Utah, and includes changes such as permitting the construction of the Greenlink North transmission line in Nevada. The organization believes that these changes will disrupt sage-grouse nesting and mating grounds.