WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Roger Marshall M.D. (R-Kan.) and Congressman Tracey Mann (KS-01) today condemned the Biden administration’s recent 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.”

Items to Note:

• On May 21, 2021, Sens. Moran and Marshall joined their colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to not list the LPC under the ESA.
• On July 16, 2021, Sens. Moran and Marshall and Rep. Mann led a group of their colleagues in requesting a 90-day extension to the comment period for the proposed listing of the LPC.

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