06.02.15

Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds Obama Administration’s Efforts to Protect the Greater Sage-Grouse

This press release was distributed May 28.

Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement following the Obama Administration’s announcement of the completed environmental reviews for Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service land management plans in the core habitat of the greater sage-grouse:

“I applaud the Administration and the states for working together to revise these plans in an attempt to conserve the greater sage-grouse. This unprecedented collaborative effort proves that a strong Endangered Species Act is a catalyst for positive change that protects species and landscapes while promoting sustainable economic development.

“But there is still work to be done. I look forward to reviewing these plans and I am hopeful that they contain the conservation measures necessary to protect this bird and its habitat. At the same time, I would ask Republicans in Congress to stop making absurdly false claims that the Endangered Species Act is harming everything from national defense to public education, and instead join me in supporting the Administrations’ request to fund vital and popular conservation work.”

Rep. Grijalva is a prominent voice in the effort to protect the greater sage-grouse and defend the Endangered Species Act. In March, Grijalva invited all members of the Natural Resources Committee to sign a letter urging House Appropriators to fully fund sage-grouse conservation efforts proposed by the Interior Department. No Committee Republicans signed the letter. Along with Federal Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), Grijalva led the charge last month to debunk Republican claims that a sage-grouse extinction rider in the National Defense Authorization bill was necessary to ensure military readiness.