Sage grouse add new hurdle for planned Nevada power line

By Scott Streater | 03/08/2024 01:35 PM EST

The Bureau of Land Management will launch a new analysis of the Greenlink North transmission project, pushing back potential final approval to summer 2025.

Two male sage grouse in snow.

Male greater sage grouse near Walden, Colorado. David Zalubowski/AP

The Bureau of Land Management may need an additional year to complete its evaluation of a proposed 235-mile-long transmission line to northern Nevada because of how it could affect greater sage grouse habitat.

BLM next week will launch a new analysis of potential amendments to three federal land-use plans that might be needed to approve the Greenlink North power line that’s a Biden administration priority, according to an advance notice in Friday’s Federal Register.

The analysis will be added to the ongoing environmental impact statement evaluating the overall Greenlink North project

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The new evaluation illustrates how large-scale energy projects can conflict with the separate Biden administration priority of protecting the imperiled greater sage grouse and its sagebrush habitat.

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