Gov. Gary R. Herbert issued the following statement regarding the sage-grouse lawsuit filed by the Utah Attorney General's office:
"The 2,000 pages of new regulations recently imposed by the federal government are in many ways more restrictive than an Endangered Species Act designation. This one-size-fits-all decision does not reflect the tremendous diversity in greater sage-grouse habitats across the West. Today's action by the state will allow greater flexibility in protecting this unique species while allowing reasonable economic growth in rural Utah.
"I have always believed that, as a state, Utah is better positioned to manage our sage-grouse population than the federal government. Utah has adopted a strong conservation plan designed to protect, enhance and restore sage-grouse habitats throughout the state. This effort by Utah has resulted in the restoration of more than 500,000 acres of sage-grouse habitat and a significant growth in sage-grouse populations. It is unfortunate that the federal government has decided to reject this successful plan."