The Biden administration’s recently proposed rule to designate the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered under federal law would be quashed under legislation offered on July 11 by U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX).
The Limiting Incredulous Zealots Against Restricting Drilling (LIZARD) Act, H.R. 4558, would require the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to withdraw a June 30 proposed rule issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) related to the endangered species status of the rare dunes sagebrush lizard, which is partly only found in Rep. Pfluger’s home state of Texas.
“On the campaign trail, President Biden promised to kill the fossil fuel industry, and that’s about the only promise we can count on him keeping,” Rep. Pfluger said in a July 13 statement. “His latest tactic — listing the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species so he can shut down drilling in the Permian — is just the latest in a string of assaults on the Permian Basin and our way of life.”
Specifically, the USFWS is seeking public input until Sept. 1 on the proposal to list the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The animal is a rare species found only in the shinnery oak sand dune ecosystems in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, according to the USFWS, and primary threats to the lizard include loss of habitat associated with oil and gas development, sand mining, and changing climate.
“The president wants to control private property in Texas,” the congressman said. “Not on my watch. My legislation protects energy security and jobs in the Permian by nullifying his latest attack.”
H.R. 4558 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee.