06/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/18/2024 10:43
Research indicates that oil and gas operations can affect sage-grouse in several ways:
The proposed updates to the habitat management plans adopted in 2015 explore options for working with oil & gas project proponents and state wildlife agencies to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts of leasing in sage-grouse habitat, using the latest science and data.
When any parcel of public land is leased for oil & gas development, the BLM may apply three types of stipulations to the lease:
All BLM resource management plans remain flexible by allowing waivers, exceptions, and modifications of stipulations on a project-specific basis, when warranted. Further flexibility in managing sage-grouse habitat comes with coordinating stipulations with laws and policies for the state in which a lease is located and collaborating with owners of adjacent lands. (See Table 2-9 in ch. 2 of the draft EIS.)
More than 100 meetings with key stakeholders, including state and local governments, resulted in the proposed alternatives analyzed in the draft EIS and data that supports the analysis.
Comments received during the recent 90-day public comment period and further coordination with state, local and Tribal partners will be used to finalize the environmental analysis and amendments to the 2015 plans.
The final EIS may revise or combine the alternatives presented in the draft EIS.
Heather Feeney, Public Affairs Specialist