endangered species

A federal judge on 16 October blocked the Trump administration’s plan to ease protections for an iconic bird that makes its home on millions of acres of oil- and gas-rich sagebrush lands, dealing a blow to government efforts to allow more drilling, mining, and logging in the west.

Environmental advocates say some of America's most iconic species are getting squeezed under policies intended to boost American energy dominance. Trump administration officials counter that they are taking reasonable steps to protect wildlife while opening up public lands to more drilling. 

The Trump administration on 15 March amended Obama-era land-use rules put in place to protect a threatened bird in 11 Western states and its shrinking sagebrush habitat, siding with oil and gas interests that opposed the measures as too restrictive.

The US Interior Department on 7 August launched an overhaul to an Obama-era plan to protect sage grouse that it says aims to preserve the species of bird while expanding opportunities for oil development in western states where they live.