Published July 10, 2024
By Christine Reed
The Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis (CERPA) in the School of Energy Resources (SER) released a new white paper highlighting the history of Greater Sage-Grouse management in Wyoming.
Authored by Esther Wagner, a senior research professional in CERPA, the paper explores the history of Wyoming’s innovative efforts to manage and protect the Greater Sage-Grouse population while simultaneously supporting economic development and land use activities, as well the collective efforts of Wyoming stakeholders to preclude the bird from being listed as an endangered species.
According to the paper, approximately 70% of the State consists of occupied sage-grouse habitat, and an Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing would greatly restrict any type of land use in more than half of Wyoming, including oil and natural gas development, mining, grazing, and construction.
It further explores the success of Wyoming’s Sage Grouse Executive Order, including how the collaborative process allows for the co-existence of habitat protection and oil and natural gas development.
“Recognizing early on that an ESA listing would have serious economic repercussions for Wyoming, state leadership has been proactive in developing a process for all relevant stakeholders, including federal and state agencies, state and local government, and energy, agricultural, hunting and environmental interests, to work together to develop consistent and reliable protections based on science,” says Wagner. “We really wanted to bring attention to the fact that not only is Wyoming at the forefront in terms of mitigating risks for the bird populations, it also has a proven track record of success that is important to acknowledge.”
In April 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it would be assessing the Habitat Management Plans in the 11 Western states that encompass Greater Sage-Grouse populations with goals to amend current conservation procedures. The CERPA white paper goes into detail about what the alternatives and amendments proposed by BLM might encompass and what their potential impacts will be for Wyoming, if adopted.
“This paper is very timely in that it provides a comprehensive overview of the effort that Wyoming has put forth to protect the Greater Sage-Grouse habitat as well as economic development opportunities at a time when the regulation of the bird is once more under review,” says CERPA Director Kara Fornstrom. “There are valuable lessons to be learned from the example Wyoming has set in managing the bird, incorporating the input from a diverse array of stakeholders, and compliance with State strategies. Esther has done an impressive job outlining the history and the importance of the collaborative stance Wyoming has taken in protecting all interests involved.”
To download the paper, research brief, or other resources released by CERPA, visit the visit the publications tab on the CERPA website www.uwyo.edu/cerpa.
