Republican U.S. Rep. August Pfluger of Texas is urging Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to remove the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and the Lesser Prairie Chicken from the threatened and endangered species list.
“Former President Biden spent four years fulfilling his promise to kill the fossil fuel industry one horrible policy at a time – including listing the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard under the Endangered Species Act, a direct attack on our hardworking men and women in the energy sector,” said Pfluger on Wednesday.
The move to remove the designation would boost American energy production, highlight the success of conservation efforts, and restore regulatory stability for rural communities, according to Pfluger.
The listing of both the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and the Lesser Prairie Chicken as endangered species by the Biden administration effectively ignored conservation efforts already underway in Texas and Kansas. Conservation efforts by farmers, ranchers, and the agricultural and energy industries increased the Dunes Sagebrush Lizards’ habitat and the Lesser Prairie Chicken population.
Pfluger’s letter to Secretary Burgum reads, “Empowering states, landowners, and private partners to continue leading species management ensures we can protect wildlife without sacrificing economic growth, energy production, or the livelihoods of hardworking Americans.”
“Striking this balance is critical to maintaining our environmental stewardship and America’s energy dominance,” Pfluger and U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) wrote.
Additionally, the lawmakers reintroduced the “Limiting Incredulous Zealots Against Restricting Drilling (LIZARD) Act” to remove the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard from the Biden administration’s list of endangered species and promote energy production in the Permian Basin, a crucial area for America’s oil and gas industry.
The legislation is supported by several associations in the energy industry, including the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association.
Attorney General Ken Paxton previously sued over the Biden administration’s weaponization of environmental regulations, particularly the endangered species designation.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s unlawful misuse of environmental law is a backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries which help keep the lights on for America,” Paxton said at the time.
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