"By contrast, a ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’ listing under ESA (Endangered Species Act) could hinder these locally-led conservation efforts and discourage a wider range of stakeholders from continuing to engage in these efforts,” Rehberg said in a letter to Steven Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “These locally-led conservation efforts provide conservationists and wildlife managers with the most effective tools to preserve this species.”

       ”Montana is an example of many Western states that have worked long and hard on sage grouse protection and conservation plans," Rehberg explained. “An ESA ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’ listing will be counterproductive, putting an end not only to our conservation work, but also an end to the sage grouse species we’re trying to save.”

       The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide by year’s end whether or not it will list the sage grouse according to ESA guidelines. Rehberg, an advocate of ESA reform, has been a critic of the 1973 law for its history of heavy-handed bureaucracy and ineffectiveness.

       “Montana’s state and local leaders and volunteers have proven themselves to be extraordinarily effective in bringing back the sage grouse,” Rehberg said. “The interference, stigma and added regulatory burdens associated with an ESA species listing will undo the tremendous time and undertaking these local managers have invested in recovering this important species.”