ETWP; 12-month Finding for a Petition to List the Washington Population of Western Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus phaios}

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding for a petition to list the Washington population of western sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus phaios) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petitioned action is warranted, but precluded by higher priority listing actions. We will develop a proposed rule to list this population segment pursuant to our Listing Priority Guidance (LPG). We made this finding in accordance with a court- approved settlement in the case of Northwest Ecosystem Alliance v. Babbitt (No. 00-520-EAS(D.D.C)).