Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, Rep. Raul Labrador, Rep. Mike Simpson, Sen. Jim Risch and Sen. Mike Crapo have issued statements on today’s announcement that the sage grouse won’t be listed as an endangered species. The common thread: Skepticism.
On a related note, we talked to all four members of Idaho’s congressional delegation about land management and more during our recent trip to Washington DC. We’ll start rolling out those interviews on our upcoming season of Idaho Reports, which starts Oct. 2.
In the meantime, here are some press releases about sage grouse:
GOVERNOR OTTER REACTS TO INTERIOR DECISION ON GREATER SAGE-GROUSE MEASURES
(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter issued the following statement today in response to Interior Secretary Jewell’s announcement that an Endangered Species Act protective designation for the greater sage-grouse is “not warranted.”
“While I appreciate Secretary Jewell’s public recognition of local and state efforts to preserve the species and its habitat, the question behind a ‘not warranted’ determination is: ‘At what cost’? For months now, the federal government’s initially transparent and collaborative process has been replaced by closed-door meetings and internal memoranda. That’s resulted in a land management scheme for sage-grouse habitat that remains a mystery to property owners and state and local wildlife advocates alike. The feds are asking us to trust them. It’s not that simple and unfortunately this is far from over. I remain committed to doing what’s best for the species and the people of Idaho.”
LABRADOR ISSUES STATEMENT ON DECISION NOT TO LIST SAGE GROUSE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, issued the following statement in response to today’s decision by the Obama Administration on the greater sage grouse:
“I welcome the Administration’s decision against listing the greater sage grouse. A listing would have immediately wreaked economic havoc across the West. However, the accompanying imposition of new federal management plans undermines much of the good work done at the state level.
“Governors, private property owners and other stakeholders have spent years crafting plans that protect habitat while allowing the development of natural resources, sustainable use of rangeland and recreational access. Unless an overreaching federal government respects the wisdom of state-level conservation efforts, the sage grouse won’t recover and the new federal restrictions will undermine local economies.”
Risch, Crapo Skeptical of Sage-Grouse Decision
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo issued comments reacting to news that the Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, has announced that placing the greater sage-grouse on the Endangered Species List is “not warranted”. The Record of Decision for the Land Use Plan Amendments has already been signed.
“While I am pleased Secretary Jewell has acknowledged the greater sage-grouse population is on the rebound, I am concerned the regulations generated by the Department of the Interior to reach this decision will do little to continue the recent population rebound in Idaho,” said Risch. “We had pressed DOI early on to rely on a locally-driven, collaborative process to conserve the sage-grouse, but this process changed when it came to Washington, D.C. The two main threats to the greater sage-grouse in Idaho are fire and invasive species. The Secretary adopts a plan that relies heavily on regulation of the mining, oil, and gas industries when it should focus more heavily on fire control. Today’s announcement serves as political cover for another top-down mandate that will not be the best prescription for sage-grouse in Idaho.”
“While a ‘not warranted’ decision is better than a listing determination under the Endangered Species Act, the Department of Interior’s reliance on heavy-handed land-use management plans to arrive at this decision is unacceptable,” said Crapo. “The Department ignored much of what the Idaho Sage Grouse Task Force recommended and, instead, opted to move forward with top-down federal lands-use management plans. While the agency cited collaboration as the basis for its decision, the move to abandon the state’s planning process that adequately addressed true threats to the bird–namely the impact of wildfires and invasive species on sagebrush habitat–will ultimately lead to greater uncertainty for sage grouse populations in the future.”
Simpson’s Statement on Sage-Grouse Decision
Boise, ID – Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson offered the following statement regarding the determination by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the Greater Sage-Grouse does not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act:
“For years, state and federal partners have worked toward the not warranted listing that was issued today, and, given the impact that a listing decision would have on Idaho and the West, I am pleased with the Fish and Wildlife Service’s determination,” said Simpson. “That being said, I recognize that this decision does not come without a price. There has been widespread concern about the impact of the federal land management plans, especially from the states, which felt their recommendations in this process were disregarded. Whether the price we pay for a not-warranted decision will be too high remains to be seen. In the meantime, I will continue working with both federal and state agencies to see that the real threats to sage-grouse habitat, including wildfire, can be addressed.”
Expect more heavy handed mandates from the Feds on land use.
The Sage Grouse’s biggest enemy is the BLM and the U.S.F.S. by cutting grazing on federally controlled land where fires can grow to super fires in a matter of hours. The BLM and U.S.F.S. are terrible stewards of our land and care more about keeping their jobs than preserving our natural resources. We need to start taking our land back under state control a little at a time. Idahoans would be the best managers of our land as they have a vested interest in keeping it safe. The bureaucrats in Washington who want to control our natural resources so that we have no access to one of the only avenues which could improve Idaho’s economic conditions. They would prefer to keep our land locked up and give us federal handouts than allow us to grow our economy by accessing our resources. The federal government already accounts for 36% of Idaho’s budget and every percentage point it rises they get more control over our state.
Bob Neugebauer, Publisher of the Gem State Patriot