Posted on 02/04/2016 7:02:30 PM PST by george76
The Utah Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture, claiming the agencies' strategy to disallow new mining on or near greater sage grouse habitats is a breach of "numerous federal laws and regulations."
The lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeks an order voiding the federal government's land-use plan amendments submitted last year that would directly prohibit new hard rock mining on 233,300 acres in Utah.
"The state of Utah claims that the 2015 federal plan amendments disregarded the hallmark of federal land management -- multiple use and sustained yield -- and impose contradictory and often unnecessary restrictions on all activities in or near the habitat," Utah Attorney General's Office
...
The state's lawsuit alleges that preserving the greater sage grouse has received extensive attention in Utah over the past 50 years, resulting in a slight increase in the bird's population within the state over that time. About 8 percent of the half-million or so greater sage grouse in the West reside in Utah, state officials have said.
Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee and Rep. Rob Bishop, all R-Utah, commended the lawsuit Thursday, saying the federal conservation strategy has more to do with a power struggle over land use than conservation of the greater sage grouse.
The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, which both fall under the parent departments named in the lawsuit by the state of Utah, 10 million total acres of Western land as off-limits
(Excerpt) Read more at deseretnews.com ...
Feds screwing things up again, I am utterly shocked. LOL
BTW just how big is a sage grouse, never seen one in person or otherwise.
Just more fodder for the masses, the STATE can ORDER all Federal Agents out of their State, they can only operate with express permission from the State, That includes ALL FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, which nowadays covers all federal agencies almost.
ARREST THEM AND CHARGE THEM IN STATE COURT, they can do NOTHING!
and if that seems to be a little harsh for you squishy types, just REFUSE to cooperate with EVERY FEDERAL AGENCY AND EMPLOYEE in the STATE.
Sage grouse are tasty, if they haven’t been around and ate too much sage. It has been many many moons since I hunted them. Just not many around where I live now.
Like a chicken. >> how big is a sage grouse ?
Farmers could raise millions of the birds if that was the real issue.
The real issue is not about a bird.
Like an overgrown dove. Not much to em. Usually pull the breast and toss the rest.
The ‘sage grouse’ conservation strategy was used to keep people off the lands taken over by the government, and keep anyone from mining them.
That is because these lands are being used as collateral on loans to places like China.
Well, they’ve taken possession. Now they want to use the land for mining. So.... strategy switched off.
Tastes like...naw. Not gonna say it.
The federal government always has something to “Grouse” about.
Just couldn’t resist!
However, there was another issue about cattle grazing endangering the grouse or some other land bird though their population was actually growing with the cattle around.
Science in the government is becoming more and more an oxymoron with an emphasis on “moron”. That is the tragedy in all of this. Many of the so-called “stewards of the environment” are becoming more like “stooges of bad environmental science”.
Thanks for info.
The miners could feed the sage grouse in return for having the grouse work in the mines. Maybe that will make the Feds happy.
Overgrown dove? They are the size of a large chicken and some of the old bulls are like a half grown turkey. I see them by the hundreds daily now, herded up for winter. In the spring they will be booming and dancing on the leks. Fun to watch and you can drive right up to them for pictures.
A sage grouse is a bit bigger than a pigeon, and comes naturally seasoned. Tasty, tasty sage grouse. Yum!
Saw some at my place last year, they look to be good eatin’ :-)
Hunting groups like Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever support habitat preservation and improvement for the sage grouse.
Grazing eliminates the ground cover these birds need to hide from the coyote and hawk.
Upland game birds are in decline all over the US.
The question is who has the authority to manage these federally owned lands.
Ok, small Cornish game hen. :-)
BLM land grab. figures
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