US: Biden administration planning to revise Trump-era rules to save greater sage grouse

United States President Joe Biden administration on Friday, November 19 said that it will consider rolling out fresh measures to safeguard the greater sage grouse. Also known as the sagehen, the greater sage grouse is a bird species that was once found across most of the Western United States but suffered a drastic decline in recent decades due to oil and gas drilling. Other factors that drove a steep decline in the bird’s population are grazing, wildfires among other pressures.

As per AP, the announcement of a range-wide evaluation of habitat plans for greater sage grouse came after Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump’s administration attempted to scale back the conservation efforts that were adopted during the previous Barack Obama administration when Biden was vice president in 2015. At the time, a US federal court had blocked Trump’s changes. Now, even though the chicken-sized bird’s habitat has been further degraded by wildfires, invasive plans and continued development, the Biden administration’s officials have said that the attempt set back conservation efforts. 

(Image credits: AP)

Disagreement over region’s bird is longstanding

According to the media report, the disagreement over the region’s sage grouse is longstanding and is often considered bitter. Notably, even any new restrictions that the Biden administration adopts against the energy or agriculture industry is destined to further trigger tensions. Reportedly, the Republican-led states, as well as industries that bag the profit off public lands, have opposed the wildlife advocates over how much space the birds need to sustain.

Many environmentalists have laid emphasis on the fact that the 2015 conservation plans have not gone far enough owing to the loopholes that allowed grazing and drilling on the land which is used by the largest grouse in North America. On the other hand, the opponents have said that they staggered economic progress. Meanwhile, biologists have reportedly said that wide buffers from drilling and other activities are required to protect the sage grouse breeding areas where birds engage for annual mating rituals. 

The news agency stated that Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Nada Culver has said that “Everything’s on the table” as the agency readies to launch its evaluation of bird’s habitat without any deadlines in place. Culver reportedly said, “From changes to the buffers, to how we manage energy development, to how we manage every other activity....we are evaluating it and we are looking for input on what are the most important things to look at.” Officials will also look at how climate change is mounting on the pressures on sage grouse.

(Image: AP)