A federal court has ruled to vacate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services addition of the lesser prairie chicken to the list of endangered species.
“This is a tremendous victory for Oklahoma farmers, ranchers and energy producers,” says Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “Oklahoma’s cattle grazing, energy production and rural economy are no longer under siege by this unlawful regulation.”
After the original ruling was made in 2022, Drummond, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the ruling in March 2023 with the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas.
In Tuesday’s ruling, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas and stated that “Fish and Wildlife concedes foundational error.”
The ruling also explained the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they “had provided an inadequate determination by finding two distinct population segments contrary to DPS Policy such that it failed to consider an important aspect of the problem.”
According to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, this ruling has immediately lifted the previous federal restrictions centered on livestock grazing, energy pipeline development, oil drilling, wind farms and road construction connected to the placing of the lesser prairie chicken on the endangered species list.
To read the full court ruling, click here.
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