The Department of Defense is backing a provision in a defense spending bill that would block the threatened chicken-sized sage-grouse bird from going on the endangered species list for a decade.

“The Administration, the Defense Department, and the Interior Department support the provision in question and believe that it could help the Department avoid any negative readiness impacts on military facilities should the species be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act,” said Pete Giambastiani, principal deputy assistant to the secretary of defense for legislative affairs, in a statement Thursday.

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