Environmental groups file new lawsuit seeking greater protection of lesser prairie chicken

The case filed in the District of Columbia against the administration of President Donald Trump sought a court order for completion of the review under the Endangered Species Act, which the petition indicated was to have been published in 2017. Plaintiffs said in court documents the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated the evaluation wouldn’t be ready until 2021. The lesser prairie chicken has been subject of litigation and regulatory battles pitting environmental organizations against government agencies, as well as agriculture and energy interests. The federal government in 2014 listed the bird as threatened but issued a rule limiting regulatory impact on landowners and businesses. That listing was subsequently overturned when challenged in court. Plaintiffs in the new lawsuit, which are Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians, petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service three years ago for reinstatement of protections for the medium-sized grouse in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. Previously, the same organizations had urged the Fish and Wildlife Service to move the lesser prairie chicken to the endangered list, arguing inclusion on the threatened list wasn’t sufficient...MORE