"Feathers Ruffled Over Oil Development in Sage Grouse Habitat"

"The greater sage grouse is once again at the center of a heated land-use dispute, pitting environmentalists against industry representatives seeking to develop natural resources.

Conservation groups filed two nearly identical lawsuits in federal courts in Idaho and Montana on Monday against Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Plaintiffs in the Idaho lawsuit include the Western Watersheds Project and the Center for Biological Diversity.

The Montana suit was filed by the Montana Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, the National Audubon Society, and the National Wildlife Federation. It also adds Donato Judice, Montana Bureau of Land Management deputy state director, as a defendant."

Matthew Renda reports for Courthouse News April 30, 2018.