I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 527 
To provide for the conservation and preservation of the Greater Sage Grouse 
by facilitating State recovery plans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 13, 2017 
Mr. BISHOP of Utah (for himself, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. AMODEI, Mr. GOSAR, 
Mr. STEWART, Mrs. LOVE, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mrs. 
MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. TIPTON, and Ms. CHENEY) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for the conservation and preservation of the 
Greater Sage Grouse by facilitating State recovery plans, 
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 ‘‘Greater Sage Grouse 
Protection and Recovery Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. PROTECTION AND RECOVERY OF GREATER SAGE 
GROUSE. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(c) ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
OF 1973 FIND-
INGS.— 
(1) DELAY REQUIRED.—During the period be-
ginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and 
ending on September 30, 2027, the Secretary of the 
Interior may not alter or invalidate the finding made 
by United States Fish and Wildlife Service on Octo-
ber 2, 2015, under section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Endan-
gered 
Species 
Act 
of 
1973 
(16 
U.S.C. 
1533(b)(3)(B)) with respect to the Greater Sage 
Grouse (80 Fed. Reg. 59857 et seq.). 
(2) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Paragraph (1) 
shall apply without regard to any other statute, reg-
ulation, court order, legal settlement, or any other 
provision of law or in equity. 
(3) EFFECT ON CONSERVATION STATUS.—Until 
September 30, 2027, the conservation status of the 
Greater Sage Grouse under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) shall remain 
not warranted for listing under such Act. 
(d) COORDINATION OF FEDERAL LAND MANAGE-
MENT
AND STATE CONSERVATION
AND MANAGEMENT 
PLANS.— 
(1) PROHIBITION ON WITHDRAWALS AND MODI-
FICATION
OF
FEDERAL
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT 
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PLANS.—Effective upon notification by the Governor 
of a State with a State management plan, neither 
the Secretary of the Interior nor the Secretary of 
Agriculture may exercise authority under section 
204 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1714) to make, modify, or 
extend any withdrawal of, nor amend, revise, or oth-
erwise modify any Federal resource management 
plan applicable to, Federal lands in the State in a 
manner inconsistent with the State management 
plan for a period, to be specified by the Governor in 
the notification, of at least five years beginning on 
the date of the notification. 
(2) RETROACTIVE EFFECT.—In the case of any 
State that provides notification under paragraph (1), 
if any amendment, revision, or modification of a 
Federal resource management plan applicable to 
Federal lands in the State was issued after June 1, 
2014, and the amendment, revision, or modification 
altered management of the Greater Sage Grouse or 
its habitat, implementation and operation of the 
amendment, revision, or modification shall be stayed 
to the extent that the amendment, revision, or modi-
fication is inconsistent with the State management 
plan. The Federal resource management plan, as in 
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effect immediately before the withdrawal, amend-
ment, revision, or modification, shall apply instead 
with respect to management of the Greater Sage 
Grouse and its habitat, to the extent consistent with 
the State management plan. 
(3) DETERMINATION OF INCONSISTENCY.—Any 
disagreement regarding whether an amendment, re-
vision, or other modification of a Federal resource 
management plan is inconsistent with a State man-
agement plan shall be resolved by the Governor of 
the affected State. 
(e) RELATION TO NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POL-
ICY ACT OF 1969.—With regard to any Federal action 
consistent with a State management plan, any findings, 
analyses, or conclusions regarding the Greater Sage 
Grouse or its habitat under the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.) shall not have 
a preclusive effect on the approval or implementation of 
the Federal action in that State. 
(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annu-
ally thereafter through 2027, the Secretary of the Interior 
and the Secretary of Agriculture shall jointly submit to 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
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House of Representatives a report on the Secretaries’ im-
plementation and effectiveness of systems to monitor the 
status of Greater Sage Grouse on Federal lands under 
their jurisdiction. 
(g) JUDICIAL REVIEW.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of statute or regulation, this section, including 
determinations made under this section, shall not be sub-
ject to judicial review. 
Æ 
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