Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (May 14, 2015) – Today the U.S. House voted for and passed H.R. 1735 – the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which, in addition to setting annual policy for our military, addresses federal species listings that will negatively impact military training and readiness.

H.R. 1735 contains a provision prohibiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from listing the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered for a period of ten years. In the interim, the federal government would not be able to impose any sage grouse-based restrictions except those consistent with state management plans. In addition, the House approved an amendment that reverses the recent federal listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species. The listing would be delayed for five years with a future listing prohibited unless the Secretary of the Interior publishes a determination that ongoing state conservation efforts are unsuccessful. 

The listings or potential listings of both species come with impacts on military base operations in the west. Both species are also the focus of ongoing state, local, and private conservation efforts.

Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-at large), Vice Chairmen Scott Tipton (CO-03), Mark Amodei (NV-02), Chairman Emeritus Steve Pearce (NM-02) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) issued the following statements in response:

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, already having listed the prairie chicken, is now racing to meet a court-ordered listing decision on the sage grouse, despite the unprecedented state commitments to conserving these species,” said Chairman Lummis. “This year’s NDAA recognizes both the military impacts of such federal listings and the need to instead empower the states who have devoted tens of millions of dollars and countless man hours towards conserving these species. States know their ecosystems and their wildlife best and are best positioned to meet both conservation needs and the needs of our people. These are significant wins for the west and for boots-on-the-ground conservation.”

“Scientific experts have provided abundant testimony stating that locally tailored species preservation plans, like those underway in Colorado and neighboring states that take into consideration the unique topographic and ecological conditions of the region, are more effective than one-size-fits-all ESA listings out of Washington,” said Vice Chairman Tipton. “These local efforts should have a chance to succeed to best ensure a robust and healthy sage grouse population. Chairman Bishop’s language provides that opportunity.”

“I have attempted to work these issues for three-plus years on the basis of habitat in Nevada. However, the USFWS has consistently disregarded facts on the ground in favor of decisions based on a political agenda – an agenda that is beginning to clearly surface in BLM Nevada resource management plans,” said Vice Chairman Amodei. “In the face of a course of conduct that can only be taken as deceptive and misleading, I applaud the effort to return land use and resource management decisions to state wildlife agencies and local county commissions. I have about concluded that good faith efforts to address these issues the last three-plus years were a naïve endeavor on my part, due to the administration’s dogmatic, unilateral objective to end multiple land use in the West.”

“Historically, radical special interest groups have been able to use weak science to cut off the military’s ability to train in the name of conservation,” said Chairman Emeritus Pearce. “Military training and species conservation do not need to be mutually exclusive, this year’s bill strikes that balance. The listing of the lessor prairie chicken as threatened last year, derailed cooperative conservation efforts between private industry, state officials, landowners, and the federal government. Removing the lesser prairie chicken from the federal endangered species list, allows time for the range-wide conservation plan to work. This is an important step in the right direction. This move will provide a template for future accountable scientific based joint conservation efforts without stifling jobs around the nation and will prevent critical habitat from encroaching on American military readiness.”

“It is inappropriate that military bases within proximity of the Lesser Prairie Chicken must consider its habitat before developing new facilities or planning training exercises,” said Rep. Mullin. “Protecting job creators has always been my motivation, and ensuring our military has the ability to prepare itself against threats at home and overseas is vitally important. Our delegations from Oklahoma and Kansas have done an excellent job of raising these important matters in the National Defense Authorization Act, and I am hopeful we will get this measure across the finish line.”

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