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From Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. – The Trump administration has advanced Thursday in its plans to relax restrictions on oil and gas drilling activities, as well as other activities put in place to protect a species of fish. bird at risk over several million acres in the American West.
Publication of land management documents. by the US Department of the Interior show that the administration intends to open more public land to lease and authorize exemptions for drilling in order to to encroach on Sage-Grouse habitat.
Critics warned that the modifications could erase Grouse colonies as drilling disrupts breeding grounds. Federal officials headed by President Barack Obama had adopted in 2015 a considerable set of land use restrictions designed to stem the decline of birds.
Under-Secretary-General for the Interior, David Bernhardt, said the agency was responding to requests from states to give them more flexibility in how the public lands are managed. He stated that the conservation goal of Sage-Grouse had not changed.
"I am quite convinced that these projects are leaning towards Sage-Grouse conservation," Bernhardt told The Associated Press. "Do they do exactly the same?" No. We've changed some plans and eliminated some things that are just not necessary. "
The changes provoked a strong reaction from conservation groups and wildlife advocates, who cautioned that excessive use of drilling derogations could tip Sage-Grouse into the list of threatened and endangered species. of disappearance.
"If you allow exception on exception, it may make sense for a particular project in one place, but you add them all together and Tracy Stone-Manning, Vice President of the National Wildlife Association, lost her life The Vice-President of the National Wildlife Association,
Black grouse covers an area of approximately 270,000 square miles in parts of 11 western states of the United States and two Canadian provinces. Their numbers have dropped in recent decades.
In 2015, after determining that the Obama administration's plans were sufficient to prevent the bird from disappearing, the US Fish and Wildlife Service was in danger. is committed to reviewing its status in five years.
US Press Spokesperson Jennifer Strickland told the AP that the Fish and Wildlife Service was not legally required to proceed to an exame Instead, he will work with the Western Association of Fisheries and Wildlife Agencies to document the effectiveness of conservation plans.
Under President Donald Trump, Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, promised to remove obstacles to drilling and protections against grouse were always considered. by the energy sector as an obstacle to development.
The new plans remove the most protective habitat designations for approximately 13,000 square miles of Crown land. These areas, considered essential to the survival of the species, were a central element of Obama's policy. The Trump administration also wants to remove certain requirements to give priority to leasing oil and gas outside the Sage-Grouse habitat.
The governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, a Republican, announced that the federal authorities had taken into account the state's desire to modify the plans for 2015.
"This is a an excellent example of federal leaders listening to heads of state, valuing their expertise and modifying their plans based on this input, "Herbert said in a statement.
But US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D- Nevada said the Interior Ministry "has decided to put the interests of the oil and gas industry ahead of the best interests of Nevadians" .
"This new plan undermines the delicate balance that Western states have created to protect sage grouse, populations, and economic development in the western United States," he said. she declared.
Sage Grouse are large land birds known for an elaborate mating ritual in which males strut around the breed. soils with large inflated bags coming out of the chest.
They used to count in the millions. The US Fish and Wildlife Service currently estimates that there are 200,000 to 500,000 birds after energy development, diseases, and other causes that have decimated populations in some areas.
The Trump administration 's proposal would cancel or alter the protections of the Obama era in seven states – Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California, Idaho, and Oregon. No significant changes have been proposed in Montana, Washington State and the Dakotas.
The oil and gas industry was irritated by the old rules. Once Trump took office, industry representatives lobbied the administration to further recognize changes in drilling practices to reduce land disturbance.
"We can do both: protect Sage-Grouse and move forward with responsible energy development," said Kathleen Sgamma with the Western Energy Alliance, which represents more than 300 oil and gas companies. "We have reduced the size of the boreholes, reduced the number of wells, and we had done all that and the previous administration assumed that the development was going on as it did 20 years ago."
Governors of several western states were previously worried about a federal directive from the Office of Land Management, which would limit a type of land swap that could be used to preserve bird habitat.
Without Land Swaps and Forms of Compensation to Compensate for Damage to Habitat, Governors
In response, the Home Office revised the directive on Thursday to direct federal officials to take include voluntary or voluntary state proposals on land conversions or similar offsets.
requirement of the state, we require in our permits that they comply with the requirements of the state, "said Bernhardt.
Governors and the public have a new chance to rule before a final decision taken early in 2019.
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