Trump proposes easing oil, gas leasing restrictions in West

The Trump administration wants to ease restrictions on oil and gas leasing and other activities across a huge swath of the American West that were put in place to protect an imperiled bird. The move involves conservation plans for greater sage grouse approved in 2015 under former President Barack Obama. President Donald Trump has vowed to increase U.S. energy production and open more lands to drilling.Conservation groups critical of Trump's energy policies warned the proposal could unravel a years-long effort to shore up the bird's struggling population.Interior Department officials said the revisions to the Obama-era plans were aimed at increasing flexibility on public lands where the birds reside - not undoing protections outright. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, was among elected officials in the region who voiced support for the move, saying it allowed for a "Colorado-specific approach."