GOP bill would delay grouse listings for 10 years

摘要

A Colorado House Republican today will introduce a bill to delay the Interior Department's listing decisions for two Western sage grouse species by a decade and give states the lead in conserving the birds' habitat. The bill by Rep. Cory Gardner is the latest effort by Western Republicans to forestall Endangered Species Act protections for the greater sage grouse and Gunnison sage grouse, two charismatic, ground-dwelling birds that roam millions of acres of Western rangelands. One environmentalist said the bill would increase both birds' risk of extinction and would waste taxpayer money.