SE Wyoming News

Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis and Congressional Western Caucus Chair Dan Newhouse have expressed strong opposition to the Biden-Harris Bureau of Land Management's new Greater Sage-Grouse Rangewide Planning Resource Management Plan.

Lummis criticized the plan, stating, "This greater sage-grouse plan will have wide-reaching impacts on farmers, ranchers and landowners across the west whose livelihoods depend on responsible management of federal lands." She added that instead of relying on states like Wyoming, which she claims have expertise in managing sage-grouse populations, the administration is attempting to exert more control over western lands. Lummis also expressed confidence that the Trump administration would rectify what she sees as wrongdoings by restoring state management roles.

Newhouse shared similar sentiments, asserting, "The Biden Administration is firing another salvo in their war against public lands across the west." He warned that the proposal could severely affect land uses such as grazing and energy production, potentially causing hardships for those reliant on these lands. Newhouse hopes for this proposal to be abandoned in the upcoming year.

The plan affects sage-grouse habitats in several states including Wyoming, California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Earlier this year in March, both Lummis and Newhouse called for an extension of the comment period for this plan to allow those impacted by it more time to provide feedback. Additionally, Senate Western Caucus member Jim Risch led a letter urging Senate leadership not to list the greater sage-grouse as endangered and advocated for continued state management. In July 2023, Lummis also pushed for prohibiting this listing through a letter to a Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee.