Trump Sage Grouse Policy is Industry Giveaway

WASHINGTON  – Acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt today is finalizing the agency’s plan for managing the greater sage grouse, among other species, on some 11 million acres of Western lands.

The following is a statement from Bobby McEnaney, senior director for the Western Renewable Energy Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“Bernhardt is unraveling a painstakingly crafted conservation plan and putting massive swaths of land, hundreds of species and precious wildlife habitat at risk. This shameless giveaway to the oil and gas industry has no basis in science.”

The Bureau of Land Management has dramatically ramped up leasing for extraction on these lands previously slated for protection from mineral extraction.  The Trump administration acknowledged in October and December of 2017 that it is prioritizing the interests of the oil and gas industry over preserving habitat.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​