Governor Steve Bullock Not Pleased With Sage Grouse Plan

Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Wyoming Governor Matt Mead agree that a federal policy drafted by the U.S Bureau of Land Management to protect sage grouse is too restrictive.

"Unfortunately, the Montana Bureau of Land Management plans as they read now are generally inconsistent with that working landscapes approach and they may in fact limit our flexibility on the ground to choose the best location for activities for both the bird and for industry to occur," Governor Bullock's Spokesman Dave Parker said.

Parker says that the federal plan may prohibit oil and gas leasing.

"It's clear that if the federal government comes in to manage the sage grouse then it's going to be a management plan from Washington D.C., and not a made in Montana solution," Parker said. "The Governor, since he first took off, has working on a plan that will both protect the sage grouse and important pieces of the economy."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide by late September whether the birds need protection as a threatened or endangered species.