EDF responds to sage grouse rider in appropriations bill: “We must make it work”

“This rider makes it all the more essential that we dig in and get good conservation in place, fast. Time is one thing the greater sage grouse does not have. Delaying the process can work if and only if there is no delay in aggressive, creative, on-the-ground efforts to protect the species; otherwise, further declines in the next year could lead to even greater threats to the bird and to local economies.

“We must nurture the productive partnerships that have already been developed in sage grouse country to promote solutions like habitat exchanges that benefit both sage grouse and the Western way of life.”

• Eric Holst, Senior Director of Working Lands at Environmental Defense Fund