Issues WAFWA urges companies enroll in lesser prairie chicken conservation programs. This week, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) released a statement, urging oil and natural gas companies to enroll leases and projects into voluntary programs, known [...]
Issues Fish and Wildlife asks judge to reverse lesser prairie chicken delisting ruling. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has asked a federal judge in Texas to rethink his ruling that overturned the agency’s March 2014 decision to list the [...]
Issues 5th Circuit rejects theory of unintentional take under Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Fifth Circuit recently rejected the United States' theory of unintentional take under the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act, reversing a Citgo Petroleum Corporation’s conviction related to [...]
Issues IPAA highlights state role in sage-grouse conservation. In advance of the late September listing deadline for the greater sage-grouse, IPAA President Barry Russell was featured in the Salt Lake Tribune this month, highlighting the key role of states in [...]
Issues Environmental groups inundated FWS with lawsuits seeking species listings. This week, Reuters reported that two environmental groups, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and WildEarth Guardians, were responsible for the majority of new species listed under the Endangered Species Act [...]
Source: USFWS The lesser prairie chicken is a medium-sized, gray-brown ground dwelling bird that is part of the grouse family. They can be anywhere between 38 and 41 cm long and have a short, rounded tail. The [...]
This week the Independent Petroleum Association of America, US Oil and Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute, and Western Energy Alliance expressed their support for Senator Mike Lee's amendment (# 1687) to the National Defense Authorization Act regarding the status of the Greater Sage-Grouse [...]
Issues Interior Department Announces Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan. Last week, federal officials released final environmental reviews for proposed land use plans as a part of a comprehensive conservation effort to protect the greater sage-grouse and its habitat on public lands [...]