Democrats and environmental groups claimed a victory this week when U.S. lawmakers finalized a defense bill that excluded a provision that would have prohibited the Interior Department from placing the sage grouse on the endangered species list.
The Trump Administration has been trying to roll back protections and revise the larger Endangered Species Act.
Ranchers and miners say current laws harm Western economies.
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Democrats Dina Titus and Ruben Kihuen were part of 119 House Democrats who signed a letter urging a House-Senate conference committee to strip the provision from the final defense bill.
Lawmakers decided not to include any of the endangered species provisions in the final version of the bill.
