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GarCo demands federal documents around Sage Grouse decision

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Garfield County Commissioners are demanding a long list of emails and other federal documents. The elected officials are upset with the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Land Management over new plans to protect a controversial bird. 

  Commissioners worry that new guidelines for handling Greater Sage Grouse habitat could hinder oil and gas development,  and a projected $200 million in tax revenue that could come with the drilling.

“It’s important to understand how this national language was developed, when it was developed,” said County Community Development Director Fred Jarman on Monday.Commissioners are also sending a formal protest letter.

In recent years Garfield County collected hundreds of millions of dollars from oil and gas development. The industry has shrunk significantly in the last year because of plummeting natural gas prices.  

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