Texas Scorecard by Katy Marshall September 4, 2023
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would designate the Dune Sagebrush Lizard as an endangered species. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is concerned that a recent push from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may lead to problems for the state’s oil and gas industry.
The federal agency proposed in July that the Dune Sagebrush Lizard (DSL) be labeled an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
The lizard is native to West Texas and New Mexico, with much of the population inhabiting the Permian Basin—which supplies almost 40 percent of U.S. oil production and 15 percent of the country’s natural gas production.
The USFWS argues that the DSL is “highly susceptible” to habitat loss and that destroying the lizard’s food source and the sand dunes it often inhabits may hinder the species’ survival.
The agency claims that oil and gas industry activity, including surface exploration, exploratory drilling, and oil field development, directly results in habitat loss for the DSL. They concluded by saying, “Threats are so pervasive and severe across the species range that they heighten the risk of extinction for the dunes sagebrush lizard in the near future.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-land-commissioner-says-new-federal-regulation-may-cripple-oil-and-gas/
