Nevada's future rides on sage grouse

They are large, ground-dwelling birds known for their elaborate mating games, played out in the sagebrush outback of rural Nevada and other Western states. Sage grouse once thrived across the West. Now their numbers are limited and their habitat has dwindled, thanks to human progress, the rise of cheatgrass and the large rangeland fires it fuels. Making the list means the bird's habitat would be federally protected. Green energy development of rural Nevada -- seen by state leaders as integral to Nevada's future -- could grind to a standstill with added layers of bureaucracy. Mining would be affected, and so would ranching. The Nevada Legislature is considering two bills to help the state maintain and boost the number of birds, keeping them off the list. "A sage grouse listing in the West would mean billions and billions of lost revenue," said San Stiver, sage grouse coordinator for the Western Association for Fish and Wildlife Agencies of Prescott, Ariz. The bird is just one step away from making the list now, on the threatened-but-precluded list. It means that the bird qualifies for inclusion on the endangered species list, but there are too many others ahead of them, in more perilous conditions. That status is a big part of the reason that legislators are introducing bills to help protect the bird's habitat to help keep it off the list. If the bird is put on the endangered species list, trying to get federal government permission to build a wind farm, solar farm, get a grazing allotment or even build a fence in many parts of rural Nevada would be a nightmare, Mayer said...more

A long but interesting article.

Also an example of how the mere threat of a listing under the ESA can bribe an entire state.