Oil and gas leases on public land: America’s Bird Conservancy highlights risks to greater sage

Greater Sage-Grouse lek by Agnieszka Bacal / Shutterstock

(April 20, 2022) Present Management has announced on Friday, April 15 that it will continue to sell oil and gas leases on public lands. And this week, the Interior Department announced a final sale offering 144,000 acres across nine states. This is particularly relevant with regard to its potential impact on Greater Sage-Grousea species whose habitat is shrinking and whose numbers continue to decline banned from the Endangered Species Act methods of protection.

In response, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) made this comment:

Steve Holmer, ABC’s vice president of policy, said: “The development of oil and gas poses a major threat to birds, and especially to the Greater Sage-Grouse population, which continues to decline. reduction”. “Previous impacts from drilling in sage priority habitats remain unresolved, and with recent climate studies outlining dire consequences for inaction, we opposes more fossil fuel development on public lands. It’s time to prioritize renewable energy including rooftop solar and wind energy – as long as wind facilities avoid areas of high risk to birds and are properly designed to minimize impacts. ”

Greater Sage-Grouse has been exempt from the Endangered Species Act since 2014. ABC calls on Congress Remove barriers to protection of this iconic species – without significant conservation measures, their range will continue to shrink and populations will decline.