Court Strips Lesser Prairie Chicken of Federal Protections, Drawing Praise from Agriculture and Energy Groups, Criticism from Environmentalists

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A Texas federal court has removed federal endangered and threatened protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a grassland grouse that has long faced fluctuating conservation status. The ruling overturns a 2022 Biden-era classification, siding with challenges from the petroleum and cattle industries. The bird’s habitat spans southwestern Kansas, southeastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle, with over 70% of the population in Kansas.

The court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service erred in creating separate northern and southern population segments and failed to justify the 2022 listings. Judge David Counts noted existing voluntary conservation programs across the species’ range would mitigate short-term impacts of removing protections.

The decision was praised by Kansas and Oklahoma officials, as well as agricultural and energy groups, who argued that the endangered status threatened ranching, oil, and wind energy operations. Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, criticized the ruling and indicated plans to challenge it through appeals or new petitions.

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