WASHINGTON – The U.S. government says it will protect two populations of a rare prairie bird that’s found in parts of the Midwest, including one of the country’s most prolific oil and gas fields. The lesser prairie chicken’s range covers a portion of the oil-rich Permian Basin along the New Mexico-Texas line, and extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. The bird's habitat has diminished about 90% from historical levels. Officials say the prairies where the birds live are in peril as they get broken up and developed.
U.S. Senators Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall M.D. and Congressman Tracey Mann on Thursday condemned the Biden administration’s decision to list the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act.
“This decision threatens to place unnecessary restrictions on farmers, ranchers, and energy producers,” said Sen. Moran. “Kansas and surrounding states are committed to preserving the lesser prairie-chicken and its habitat area and have contributed millions of public and private dollars to conservation efforts. This work has resulted in successfully conserving habitat area and increasing the population of the bird. The choice to list the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened despite voluntary, locally-driven conservation efforts will negatively impact critical industries in Kansas and will remove any incentive for similar local efforts for wildlife conservation in the future.”
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s announcement is disappointing and a reminder that this Administration favors government micromanagement of agriculture and heavy handed regulation in their war against energy producers instead of working with landowners to promote continued voluntary conservation efforts,” said Sen. Marshall. “Listing the lesser prairie chicken will hurt our state’s economy, hinder our oil and gas independence, increase utility costs, and prevent the development of renewable energy in prime Western Kansas locations.”
“In their final rule, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first commended landowners’ voluntary efforts to increase lesser prairie-chicken populations in Kansas, and then unilaterally decided that the federal government is better equipped to address these local areas,” said Rep. Mann. “This ruling is more than another example of federal overreach - it is a proxy war on American agriculture and energy sectors that are vital to our economy. Farmers, ranchers, and landowners are the original conservationists, and the federal government should get out of their way to let them do what they do best.”