For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON (December 6, 2018) - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has posted six Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendments and Final Environmental Impact Statements today that downgrade protections for greater sage-grouse and other wildlife on tens of millions of acres of BLM land in seven western states. These notices initiate 30-day protest periods on each of the six proposed final plan amendments.

Mark Salvo, Vice President of Landscape Conservation for Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement:

“This administration’s goal has been clear from the start: expand oil and gas drilling in sage-grouse habitat, regardless of the consequences to wildlife and wild lands. Meddling with the current plans will not only jeopardize grouse and their habitat, but also communities and economies that depend on healthy sagebrush landscapes. None of the proposed amendments would actually improve sage-grouse conservation, and most of them would undermine years of investment and progress in sage-grouse conservation at a time when the species is facing acute threats across its range.”

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

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