Alva Review-Courier -

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists say the Trump administration's approval of exploratory drilling for oil in sage grouse habitat on federal land in eastern Nevada violates its own protection guidelines and ignores concerns raised by scientists about potential harm to the bird imperiled across much of the West.

Two groups are asking the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's state director to at least temporarily halt the Western Oil Exploration Co.'s plans to drill two oil wells on public lands about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Ely.

"BLM can't be counted on to enforce its own sage-grouse plans...