Issues Congress chastises Interior over transparency flaw. A confidential seven-page memo from the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was recently leaked, revealing an internal recommendation that staffers”withhold” certain documents requested by the public on Endangered Species Act (ESA) decisions in [...]
Issues Documents reveals disagreement between Western Governors and Interior over sage grouse. Documents obtained in a public records requests reveal tumult between western governors, including Gov. Matt Mead of Wyoming, and the Trump administration. In a private January 12 letter from [...]
Issues USFS opens comment period for draft sage-grouse protection plan. Late last week, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) unveiled proposed changes to Obama-era greater sage-grouse conservation plans in five Western states. On Friday, the agency released draft plans altering rules [...]
Issues Gunnison sage-grouse to remain on ESA list, judge rules. Gunnison County, the Gunnison Stockgrowers Association, Colorado, Utah and San Juan County lost their case in federal district court last week when a judge ruled that the Gunnison sage-grouse should [...]
Issues IPAA publishes comments on ESA open dockets. Together with the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW), the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) has submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Services on their [...]
Issues Nevada Governor pushes back on compensatory mitigation rollback. At a recent Western Governors Association workshop on invasive species in Lake Tahoe, Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada told reporters that he has concerns about the impact that rolling back compensatory [...]
Issues Interior defends ESA changes. A top Trump administration official on Monday defended a plan to refurbish the Endangered Species Act (ESA), saying the proposed changes would result in more efficient and effective listing decisions. At a forum hosted by [...]
Issues Dispute over American Burying Beetle sparks lawsuit against USFWS. This week, a national conservation organization filed suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) over a public records dispute involving the American burying beetle. Oklahoma State University entomologist, [...]