Chicken-like bird threatens western state economies, as feds weigh new rules

A small, chicken-like bird is threatening economies across the American West as the feds weigh new regulations to protect it. Meet the sage grouse. The animal stands at the center of the latest battle pitting America's domestic energy industry against conservationists trying to protect a little-known species from harm. Like past clashes over the spotted owl or a desert-dwelling pronghorn, the results could be costly. The federal government already listed one variety of the bird, the Gunnison sage grouse, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act earlier this month, prompting Colorado to prepare a lawsuit over the decision. But that bird only thrives in western Colorado and eastern Utah. The feds continue to weigh a far more expansive listing of its cousin, the greater sage grouse. That bird lives in 11 western states, and an endangered species listing could have a much bigger economic impact. "There's extensive energy development, mining, recreation, ranching, farming," said Kathleen Sgamma, with the Western Energy Alliance. "And sage grouse restrictions that really aren't tailored to actual conditions on the ground could kill jobs and economic activities in rural communities across the West." In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first determined that an endangered species listing was warranted for the greater sage grouse. Budget problems forced the agency to put off a final decision until 2015. "In Wyoming, the sage grouse territory is about 80 percent of the state," said Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, whose state is the biggest energy exporter in the country.  The governor argues that an endangered species would hurt the entire country. "We're not going to survive if we don't have energy and we don't have food and we don't have the ability for municipalities to grow and prosper."...more