Even with the Department of Interior’s (DOI) recent decision not to implement a so-called “wild lands” order (see NGI, June 6a), wilderness characteristics will continue to be considered in assessing proposed energy infrastructure projects across Wyoming and other western states, an environmental panel concluded at a meeting of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA) board last Wednesday.

At about the same time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) sent Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead a letter of commendation for the state’s efforts to conserve sage grouse throughout the state under a protection plan ordered by the governor (see NGI, June 6b). Mead headed a regular meeting of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) late last month, and used the forum to discuss sage grouse management issues with the other governors, offering them Wyoming’s support.

Meanwhile, the Wyoming panel addressed DOI’s proposed changes in federal wildlife protection rules covering permitting, siting and operation of renewable and transmission projects. The emphasis was on power sector projects, but natural gas infrastructure could also be impacted. The panelists somewhat ironically said the new rules could hinder efforts in both federal and state governments to streamline energy permitting processes.

Even with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar rescinding the wild lands proposal, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has indicated it will continue to consider wilderness characteristics when conducting land-use planning for energy projects, panelists said. One panelist accused the federal agencies involved in protecting wildlife of not knowing the issues.

Richard Harness, a certified wildlife biologist from EDM International Inc., suggested that education upfront was needed to overcome the fact that not all agencies or their representatives fully understand the issues. “You can facilitate quicker review by spending more time up front, developing clear, complete project information to share with busy agency staff,” Harness said.

The consensus among the panelists was that energy project developers need to play a role in encouraging more state and federal coordination to streamline permitting schedules, WIA Executive Director Loyd Drain said.

“A defensible and multi-disciplinary planning approach that integrates agency and public/stakeholder involvement is key, allowing engagement with appropriate federal, state and local agency staff as early as possible,” said another panelist, Randy Palmer, COO of Environmental Planning Group.

And in any event, prepare for the unexpected was the caution offered by Steve Negri, a Tetra Tech Inc. project manager. “Everyone should be prepared for an uncertain planning environment.”

On the sage grouse success, early in June Mead signed an updated version of Wyoming’s Sage Grouse Core Area Protection Executive Order. He characterized the order as providing more flexibility for management of the area, adding language requiring continual reevaluation of the science and data for sage grouse management.

In its letter to Mead, USFWS said the action in Wyoming “can result in the long-term conservation of the greater sage grouse, and thus reduce the need to list the species under the 1973 Endangered Species Act as amended. If fully implemented, we believe the executive order can provide the conservation program necessary to achieve your goal of precluding listing of the greater sage grouse in Wyoming.”

USFWS has previously determined that listing the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act was warranted, but what it said was “precluded.” That only meant that there were higher-priority species in need of the federal government’s resources, a spokesperson for Mead said.

In updating an earlier state order, Mead acknowledged there was an “active effort” to have the sage grouse listed, but the new state order was an attempt to head that off with what he called “a compromise acceptable to all sides.” Mead is a strong advocate for developing more state initiatives to lead the way to species protection.

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