The Fish and Wildlife Service reissued a proposal today that would establish federal protections for the mountain plover, restarting a listing process frozen several years ago by the George W. Bush administration.

The agency's Federal Register notice reaffirms its 2002 conclusion that the species is declining and will continue to do so without Endangered Species Act protection.

The mountain plover, a small brown bird native to the high plains, is threatened by habitat loss to agriculture, pesticide exposure and oil and gas development, the notice says.

The 2002 proposal to list the species was withdrawn in 2003 after the Bush administration's Interior Department determined the threats to the bird had been overestimated.

Two environmental groups, WildEarth Guardians and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, sued over the reversal in 2006, saying it was the result of political interference. Fish and Wildlife settled in 2009, promising to reconsider the decision to withdraw the proposal and decide on the bird's status by May 1, 2011.

If finalized, the "threatened species" listing could lead to new land-use restrictions to protect nesting plovers in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado, as well as on its wintering habitat in California, southern Arizona and Texas.

"We were very close to listing the mountain plover in 2002," said Lou Hanebury, a federal biologist in Montana. "It was proposed, which means we said it was warranted."

Today's notice initiates a 60-day period for public comments.

"We remain hopeful that Fish and Wildlife will base its 2011 decision on science rather than politics," said Jeremy Nichols, director of WildEarth Guardians' climate and energy program. "The science is clear, the mountain plover needs protection."