![Judge: Trump’s Lifting of Mining Ban in U.S. West Was Wrong](https://townsquare.media/site/101/files/2015/10/sage-grouse.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Judge: Trump’s Lifting of Mining Ban in U.S. West Was Wrong
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has overturned a Trump administration action that allowed mining and other development on 10 million acres in parts of western states that are considered important for the survival of a struggling bird species.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill said in Thursday's ruling that the decision under former President Donald Trump to cancel a prior effort to ban mining failed to fully consider how the move would affect greater sage grouse.
The wide-ranging, chicken-sized bird has seen a dramatic population drop in recent decades.
Winmill says the U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management must reconsider whether mining should be allowed.
![Laramie Live logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/laramielive.png?w=100)
Enter your number to get our free mobile app
LOOK: Historical Wyoming License Plates Since 1914
LOOK: Historical Wyoming License Plates Since 1914
More From Laramie Live
![Deerwood Ranch To Hold Free Wild Horse Day, Adoption Event](http://townsquare.media/site/245/files/2024/06/attachment-wild-horses.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Laramie Man Gets 10 Years After Child Porn Found on Phone](http://townsquare.media/site/245/files/2023/12/attachment-BO-17.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Laramie Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Child Porn](http://townsquare.media/site/245/files/2023/12/attachment-BO-17.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![[Update] City of Laramie Set to Save Thousands in Energy Costs](http://townsquare.media/site/245/files/2023/08/attachment-lights.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Federal Judge Dismisses Cody-based ‘UFO Magazine’ Lawsuit Against Showtime](http://townsquare.media/site/98/files/2021/12/attachment-buford-wind-underpass.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![US Attorney: Fort Washakie Man Sentenced To Two Years For Strangulation](http://townsquare.media/site/99/files/2021/08/attachment-gavel.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Montana Brothers Plead Guilty in Jan. 6 US Capitol Attack](http://townsquare.media/site/101/files/2022/08/attachment-GettyImages-1359579580.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![3 Taken Into Custody Following Wild Chase in Southeast Wyoming](http://townsquare.media/site/99/files/2019/05/Wyoming-Highway-Patrol2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Senator Barrasso Demands President Biden ‘Must End His War on American Energy’](http://townsquare.media/site/101/files/2021/03/GettyImages-1305347294.jpg?w=980&q=75)