I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4716 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
to provide certain Western States assistance in the development of state-
wide conservation and management plans for the protection and recovery 
of sage grouse species, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2014 
Mr. GARDNER (for himself, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mr. STEW-
ART, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. AMODEI, and Mr. DAINES) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
of Agriculture to provide certain Western States assist-
ance in the development of statewide conservation and 
management plans for the protection and recovery of 
sage grouse species, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sage Grouse Protec-
tion and Conservation Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GREATER SAGE-GROUSE PROTECTION AND CON-
SERVATION MEASURES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COVERED
WESTERN
STATE.—The term 
‘‘covered western State’’ means each of the States of 
California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, 
North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wash-
ington, and Wyoming. 
(2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS.—The 
term ‘‘National Forest System lands’’ means the 
Federal lands within the National Forest System, as 
described in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range-
land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 
U.S.C. 1609(a)). 
(3) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 103(e) 
of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702(e)). 
(4) SAGE GROUSE SPECIES.—The term ‘‘sage 
grouse species’’ means the greater sage-grouse 
(Centrocercus urophasianus) and the Gunnison sage- 
grouse (Centrocercus minimus). 
(5) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means— 
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re-
spect to National Forest System lands; and 
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(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re-
spect to public lands. 
(6) STATEWIDE
PLAN.—The term ‘‘statewide 
plan’’ means a statewide conservation and manage-
ment plan for the protection and recovery of sage 
grouse species within a covered western State. 
(b) SECRETARIAL PARTICIPATION IN STATE PLAN-
NING PROCESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 
receipt of notice from a covered western State that 
the State is initiating or has initiated development 
of a statewide conservation and management plan 
for the protection and recovery of the sage grouse 
species within the State, the Secretary shall provide 
to the Governor of that covered western State— 
(A) a commitment of the Secretary’s will-
ingness to participate in such development; 
(B) a list of designees from the Depart-
ment of the Interior or Department of Agri-
culture, as applicable, who shall represent the 
Secretary as a participant in such development; 
and 
(C) a list of other Federal departments 
that could be invited by the covered western 
State to participate. 
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(2) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—Not later than 
60 days after receipt of such notice from the covered 
western State, the Secretary shall provide to the 
State all relevant scientific data, research, or infor-
mation regarding sage grouse species and habitat 
within the State for use by appropriate State per-
sonnel to assist the State in such development. 
(3) 
AVAILABILITY
OF
DEPARTMENT
PER-
SONNEL.—The Secretary shall make personnel from 
Department of the Interior agencies or Department 
of Agriculture agencies, respectively, available, on at 
least a monthly basis, to meet with officials of the 
State to develop or implement such a plan. 
(c) CONTENTS OF NOTICE.—A notice under sub-
section (b) shall— 
(1) be submitted by a Governor of any covered 
western State; and 
(2) include— 
(A) an invitation for the Secretary to par-
ticipate in development of the statewide plan; 
and 
(B) a commitment that, not later than 2 
years after the submission of a notice under 
this section, the State shall present to the Sec-
retary for review a 10-year (or longer) sage 
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