Sponsors (5)
The bill reduces regulatory and administrative burdens for landowners, energy companies, and government agencies now, at the cost of limiting future endangered-species protections and increasing risks of long-term habitat loss, biodiversity decline, and potential taxpayer-funded recovery efforts.
Farmers, ranchers, energy producers and utilities will face fewer federal regulatory restrictions on land use and development where lesser prairie‑chickens occur, making it easier and cheaper to build and operate agricultural and energy projects.
State and local governments and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will have reduced ESA consultation and administrative obligations for this species, lowering regulatory workload and potential project delays.
Rural communities, farmers and recreational users face higher risk of habitat loss and declining lesser prairie‑chicken populations, which can reduce biodiversity and local ecosystem services (recreation, pollination, erosion control) over the long term.
Federal and state agencies lose flexibility to act on new scientific evidence because the bill bars future ESA listing actions for this species, which may hinder evidence‑based conservation if the species' status worsens.
Taxpayers could face future costs for recovery, mitigation, or restoration if the species declines and intervention becomes necessary because the bill prevents future ESA listings now.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Removes the lesser prairie‑chicken (including every distinct population segment) from the Endangered Species Act’s lists of threatened and endangered species and amends the ESA to bar the Secretary from making any future listing determination under the statute for that species. The bill makes this delisting statutory and prevents future listings of the lesser prairie‑chicken under the specified provision of the ESA. The change is narrowly focused on this single species and does not provide funding, a recovery or management plan, or explicit transition rules for state or local management.
Introduced January 21, 2025 by Roger Wayne Marshall · Last progress January 21, 2025