Deal struck to protect imperiled plants, animals

BILLINGS — The Obama administration on Tuesday struck a new deal with wildlife advocates that would require the Interior Department to consider greater protections for hundreds of imperiled animals and plants.

The agreement was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by attorneys from the government and the Center for Biological Diversity.

If a judge approves it, the deal would set a 2018 deadline for the administration to decide whether Endangered Species Act protections are needed for species as diverse as the wolverine, Pacific walrus and Miami blue butterfly.

A similar agreement...