Chest-Puffing Grouse to Test Trump’s Conservation Approach
- Obama tees up ban on new hard-rock mining on 10 million acres
- Decision affecting six states will rest with president-elect
A greater sage grouse.
Photographer: Joe Amon/Denver Post via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The Obama administration teed up plans to block hard-rock mining on as many as 10 million acres in the western U.S. to protect the greater sage grouse, setting up a test for Donald Trump on how he will weigh business interests and the environment.
The final decision about whether to block activity under new mining claims in sagebrush territory across six western states rests with the president-elect, but may be influenced by the draft environmental analysis and proposal the U.S. Interior Department issued Thursday.