Governor signs bill asserting Kansas control over prairie chickens

Kansas is telling the U.S. government it has no authority to regulate prairie chickens within the state's borders and is threatening lawsuits against federal conservation efforts in an escalating dispute over reversing a population decline for one species of the grouse. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback announced Saturday he has signed a bill that represents the GOP-dominated Legislature's protest against the lesser prairie chicken gaining federal "threatened" status in March. The "State Sovereignty over Non-migratory Wildlife Act," which Brownback signed late Friday, will take effect next week. The new law says Kansas has the sole power to regulate the lesser prairie chicken — along with the larger, darker and more abundant greater prairie chicken — and their habitats within Kansas. It authorizes the attorney general or county prosecutors to sue over federal attempts to impose conservation measures. Kansas officials have said farmers, ranchers and oil and natural gas companies face steep conservation fees and restrictions on their activities in habitat areas that will damage the state's economy. "I will take every possible action to protect the rights of Kansans from the economic effects of this listing," Brownback said in a statement...more