List lizard, lose jobs, say critics in oil-gas land

Frustration is swelling among residents and lawmakers in one of the most productive oil and natural gas basins in the nation, and it's all because federal wildlife managers have proposed endangered species protections for a small lizard. From Midland, Texas, to Artesia, N.M., hundreds of people have turned out in recent weeks at rallies and public meetings to oppose a listing to protect the dunes sagebrush lizard. "We're not going to stand idly by and watch the economies of southeastern New Mexico and West Texas be devastated," U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., said in a phone interview. Oil and gas industry groups worry that listing the lizard would take thousands of acres in the Permian Basin out of production. They say that could lead to lost jobs, fewer royalties and less tax revenue, higher gasoline prices and less energy security as the nation looks to wean itself from foreign oil supplies. The Permian Basin produces almost 20 percent of the nation's crude oil. The region's reserves are second only to Alaska's. Ben Shepperd, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, said the association would prefer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourage conservation agreements between the federal government and landowners to preserve the lizard's habitat while allowing activity on the landscape. The association is the largest regional oil and gas group in the United States. AP