SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Several environmental groups are suing over the federal government’s decision not to list two wildflowers found in Utah and Colorado as threatened species.
The suit was filed last week in Denver federal court by Earthjustice on behalf of the Utah Native Plant Society and six other groups.
Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cited a conservation agreement it forged with Utah officials in ruling that Graham’s and White River beardtongue don’t merit federal protection.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/1P8Grza ) the suit says the agreement is designed to ensure the survival of oil shale mines on Utah’s state trust lands in the Uinta Basin, where the plants are endemic.
But Utah officials say the deal restricts development on 14 square miles of flower habitat that wouldn’t otherwise be protected.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, https://www.sltrib.com
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