The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today issued (pdf) a draft Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse Land Use Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement (LUP Amendment/EIS) for the Oregon Sub-Region.  Once finalized, the LUP Amendment/EIS will cover over 10 million acres of sage-grouse habitat in the species’ Oregon range.

The draft LUP Amendment/EIS is one of fifteen separate planning efforts being undertaken as part of the “National Greater Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy.”  As we previously reported, BLM has already issued the draft LUP Amendment/EIS for the Nevada and Northeast California range of the greater sage-grouse.

The draft LUP Amendment/EIS addresses key planning issues such as special status species management, energy and mineral development, lands and realty (including transmission), vegetation management, and livestock grazing.  It evaluates six alternatives, including the “preferred alternative,” or Alternative D, which includes conservation measures BLM developed with cooperating agencies.  BLM is accepting comments on the draft LUP Amendment/EIS through February 20, 2014.