Sage Grouse Announcement Expected Today
March 5, 2010
Reported by Associated Press
The first step toward determining the future of the sage grouse will take place today.
The Interior Department's announcement whether it will pursue Endangered Species Protection for the bird could have major ramifications for the west's renewable energy and oil and gas industries.
A listing of endangered, threatened, or "warranted but precluded" could affect investment in energy development in the eleven states where sage grouse are found, because it would place greater scrutiny on public lands development that could affect the birds.
environmentalists say protecting sage grouse would benefit many species and help preserve open spaces.
