Articles

Today, Congressman Scott Tipton (R-CO) spoke on the House floor to urge Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to provide measurable goals for the preservation of the Greater Sage Grouse and the Gunnison Sage Grouse. Tipton also renewed his invitation for Jewell to come to Colorado to see firsthand the effective local preservation efforts underway. He emphasized that the proposed Endangered Species Act designations for the sage grouse, “would kill jobs, devastate communities, and disrupt effective species preservation efforts currently underway.”

The text of Tipton’s statement follows:

“The proposed Endangered Species Act designations for the Gunnison Sage Grouse and Greater Sage Grouse would impact millions of acres in Colorado and hinder existing conservation efforts. It would put private lands off limits to most use and development, including agriculture production, without providing any compensation.

It would kill jobs, devastate communities, and disrupt effective species preservation efforts currently underway. It won’t, however, more effectively preserve the grouse.

In my district, plans at the local level are underway to effectively preserve the species. Because they take into account the unique geography and environment of the region, these efforts are seeing success.

Interior Department bureaucrats have yet to provide measurable species preservation goals so that state and local officials can meet them. Local conservation efforts are all too often disrupted by heavy-handed federal attempts to implement blanket plans that neglect local environmental and geographic factors. These one-size-fits-all plans create endless litigation and tie up resources that could be used for preservation.

If the true goal is species preservation then I hope Secretary Jewell will come to Colorado and see firsthand the effective work being done to preserve the sage grouse, as well as provide measurable species preservation goals.”