Congress has approved two measures to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, which live in Colorado, and northern long-eared bat — two endangered animals that have seen their populations plummet over the years.
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved two measures to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat — two endangered animals that have seen their populations plummet over the years.
The lesser prairie chicken, which belongs to the grouse family, is found in parts of the Midwest and Southwest, including one of the country’s most prolific oil and gas fields — the oil-rich Permian Basin in New Mexico and Texas. The bird's range also extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas, but has diminished across about 90% of its historical range, officials said.
In a separate statement, the White House said bats are"critical to healthy, functioning ecosystems and contribute at least $3 billion annually to the U.S. agriculture economy through pest control and pollination.'' Overturning protections “would risk extinction of a species.” White-nose syndrome, meanwhile, has spread across about 80% of the northern bat’s range and caused a precipitous decline in bat populations. Critics of the endangered listing contend it would hamper logging and other land uses that aren’t responsible for the bat’s sharp decline.
In the case of the lesser prairie chicken, the protected status “is a tool for Fish and Wildlife to go implement the Biden administration's none-of-the- above energy policy,'' Westerman said on the House floor. “It’s another attack on low-cost energy for the American taxpayers. It’s an attack on jobs in America and it’s making us more dependent'' on hostile countries in the Middle East and South America, he said.
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