The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has published draft environmental impact analyses of proposed changes to six resource management plans in seven states affecting the habitat of the greater sage-grouse.

The seven states covered by draft analyses are: California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.

The proposed changes are to sage-grouse conservation plans that generated complaints that the plans did not respond to local needs.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued Secretarial Order 3353 in June 2017 calling for federal cooperation with state entities responsible for sage-grouse management. The order specifically addresses the need for reevaluation of plans adopted before September 2015.

The proposals would adjust restrictions on oil and gas leasing near sage-grouse leks (areas where the birds congregate) and revise the language for waivers, exceptions and stipulations in leases to reflect the state’s authority over wildlife management, while clarifying the application of lek buffers.

In addition, the draft environmental analyses propose greater flexibility in adopting the state’s updates to habitat boundaries and would clarify the roles of the state and BLM in determining the impact of proposed actions and developing opportunities for offsite mitigation using state-led programs.

The AMA is monitoring the proposals to ensure that any changes provide for continued responsible use of public land for motorized recreation.

The AMA also is sending AMA Action Alerts to those in the affected states, encouraging them to attend public meetings and voice their opinions.