Biden administration to restrict drilling, renewables in the US West to help struggling bird
U.S. officials are proposing tighter restrictions on oil, solar and wind energy development across more than 6,500 square miles of federal land in the U.S. West
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration on Friday proposed tighter restrictions on oil, solar and wind energy development across more than 6,500 square miles (17,000 square kilometers) of federal land in the U.S. West to protect a declining bird species.
However, it is doubtful the changes would survive under President-elect Donald Trump.
Greater sage grouse — chicken-sized birds known for an elaborate mating ritual— were once found across much of the U.S. West. Their numbers plummeted in recent decades because of energy exploration, wildfires, disease and other pressures.
A 2015 agreement shepherded by the Obama administration kept the birds off the endangered species list, by imposing limits on where and when development could occur across 226,000 square miles (590,000 square kilometers) of remaining grouse habitat spanning 11 states.
