US officials Friday stopped short of giving endangered species status to the sage grouse, an iconic bird that is at the center of a dispute over oil drilling in the western United States.
The Interior Department said the bird merits protection but will not receive it for now because of a backlog of other species which are a higher priority, a move that is expected to allow oil drilling to continue.
The agency "will expand efforts with state, local and tribal partners to map lands that are vital to the survival of the greater sage grouse... while guiding and managing new conventional and renewable energy projects to reduce impacts on the species," a statement from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.
"The sage grouse's decline reflects the extent to which open land in the West has been developed in the last century," Salazar said.
"We must find common-sense ways of protecting, restoring and reconnecting the Western lands that are most important to the species' survival while responsibly developing much-needed energy resources."
Environmentalists lamented the decision.
"These magnificent birds need Endangered Species Act protection now," said Michael Connor, California Director for Western Watersheds Project.
"Without this added protection the Mona Basin sage grouse will continue to decline."
Sage grouse have dwindled to about half of their historic range due to habitat destruction, and some scientists warn that the birds could disappear within the next 100 years or less.
The Environmental Defense Fund said the decision "is a wake-up call for landowners, industry, and conservationists to work together to reverse the decline of the bird and the land it inhabits."
"An endangered species listing is no one's first choice as a tool to fix broken landscapes," said Ted Toombs, a spokesman for the fund. "It is really a last resort option to keep species from going extinct.
"The first, best option to protect species is for conservationists, farmers, ranchers, energy companies, the recreation industry, and other stakeholders to work together on habitat conservation and restoration, so that an endangered species listing can be avoided."
The greater sage grouse currently live in only 11 western states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Oil and gas companies have said a designation could freeze drilling in areas of Wyoming and other states that are also sage grouse habitat.
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