Rep. Boebert Slams Biden Plan to Protect ‘Ugly’ Animal’s Habitat
By Jake Beardslee ·
October 22, 2024
A new federal plan to protect the threatened Gunnison sage-grouse has ignited a heated debate between Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert and the Biden administration over public land use and energy development. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on October 17 a comprehensive plan to protect over 2 million acres of public land and nearly 3 million acres of subsurface mineral estate that serves as critical habitat for the declining bird species. Fry1989 / Wikimedia
Recent research indicates the Gunnison sage-grouse population has dwindled to approximately 1,800 birds in Colorado as of 2019. Larry Lamsa / Wikimedia
Rep. Boebert strongly criticized the decision, characterizing it as governmental overreach.
"The Biden-Harris Administration and the radical progressives in charge of BLM are attempting to lock up our public lands from critical uses like oil & gas exploration," Boebert said in a statement to Newsweek, expressing concern about potential economic impacts on Colorado's energy sector. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
BLM Colorado State Director Doug Vilsack defended the plan, emphasizing that it balances conservation with economic interests.
The agency noted that 85% of high-potential areas would remain available for future oil and gas leasing, while implementing protective measures including a one-mile buffer around the bird's habitat and new conservation areas. BML.gov
The plan, which builds upon a recovery strategy approved during the Trump administration in 2020, introduces new protective measures while attempting to accommodate multiple land uses. USDAgov / Wikimedia
However, Boebert argued that the decision represents a "tyrannical seizure of our land" that could threaten thousands of energy sector jobs. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
"Obama, Biden and Harris have tried to use the Gunnison Sage-Grouse's ugly, non-endangered cousin, the Greater Sage-Grouse, to lock up more than 183 million acres in the West," Boebert added, vowing to fight against what she termed a "land grab." Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
