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Article: Sage grouse debate enflamed by court ruling, E&P said at risk.
- Article from:
- Natural Gas Week
- Article date:
- February 4, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Energy Intelligence Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Weighing between two and seven pounds, the sage grouse is a timid bird with unusual feathers and a rotund stature that hides when approached. Recent discussions among lawmakers, however, prove the legal controversy behind sage grouse protection is hardly as quiet or meek.
Earlier this winter, a federal judge ordered the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to reconsider sage grouse for possible protection as an endangered species, and since then, debate has intensified on how energy and wildlife should cooperate.
Because large amounts of land used for oil and gas production overlap with the sage steppe ecosystem, where the sage grouse lives, energy ...