RENO, Nev. (AP) — Reaction to the government's decision to deny the greater sage grouse protection under the Endangered Species Act runs the gamut in Nevada, home to some of the best quality remaining habitat in the West and second only to Wyoming in terms of sheer numbers of the bird.
Liberal Democratic Sen. Harry Reid says the Obama administration should be applauded for the "unparalleled collaboration" by the Interior Department and 11 western states to avert the listing.
Conservative Republican Sen. Dean Heller disagrees. He says the administration used the "threat of a listing to get what it really wanted all along" — further restrictions on development through accompanying land use regulations.
But moderate Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who traveled to Denver to join Secretary Sally Jewell for the announcement, says it's a "huge win."