BILLINGS, Mont. — The federal government plans to spend more than $200 million over the next three years on programs to protect greater sage grouse in Western states — regardless of whether the bird receives federal protections, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
Vilsack told The Associated Press that he wants to almost double protected habitat for the chicken-sized bird, to 8 million acres by 2018. He also promised more spending on conservation easements for private landowners, to limit residential development in sage grouse habitat and to restore wetlands used by the birds.
It's part of an ongoing campaign by the Obama administration to demonstrate its commitment to staving off further declines in grouse populations.
The bird's fate has become a potential political liability heading into the 2016 election. Federal protections could prompt limits on energy drilling, grazing and other activities across the grouse's 11-state range.
Republicans have seized on the issue as supposed evidence of wildlife protection laws run amuck. They say it underscores the urgent need to scale back the federal Endangered Species Act.
