Railroad Commission of Texas request endangered species listing challenge

AUSTIN, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — After the recent listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Railroad Commission of Texas is challenging that listing due to its alleged impact on oil and gas production in the Permian Basin region.

According to RRC officials, during their most recent open meeting commissioners voted unanimously to request the Texas Attorney General’s office challenge the ruling. Officials noted that the DSL’s habitat is in the Permian Basin, with more than 7,000 producing oil and gas fields.

The Dune Sagebrush Lizard is found in New Mexico and West Texas, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the lizard has suffered a population decline due to the loss of habitat associated with oil and gas development, sand mining, and changing climate. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated in the report about the listing that the lizard only is located on 4% of lands that make up the 86,000 square mile Permian Basin. The listing was originally petitioned by the Center of Biological Diversity in 2002, however, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made them a “candidate” for listing that did not let the lizard population get full protection.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the Service finally proposed to list the dunes as endangered species at the end of 2010, but the Service canceled the proposed listing and the Center for Biological Diversity sued in 2013. Officials with the Center noted that the Service then determined that the species warrants protection 10 years after the cancelation of the proposed listing.

However, the recent listing by the service will force operators to limit activities and could prohibit future development of energy operations, according to the RRC.

“This doesn’t have a thing to do with ‘saving lizards’; it’s about shutting down U.S. oil and gas production to win political brownie points, which will only increase inflation and jeopardize billions of lives globally,” said RRC Commissioner Wayne Christian. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a lizard, a chicken, a whale, or a unicorn, radical environmentalists won’t be satisfied until we all get out energy from firewood and are living in a cave again. To them, this is about ending fossil fuels to ‘better humanity’; which is ironic given fossil fuels allow mankind to flourish by powering 80% of the globe’s energy, manufacturing 96% of consumer products, and helping feed more than half the planet. Right now, the world needs more energy and more Texas oil and gas, and all this does is drive up prices and make it harder on consumers.”

RRC officials noted in the report that “the Service’s speculative conclusions that the DSL is at risk of extinction were based on outdated scientific studies that do not reflect modern oil and gas production technology,” and “the RRC expressed concern the Service did not base its determination utilizing actual populations of the DSL, but rather relied on habitat modeling.”

“The Biden administration doubled down on their attack of the oil and gas industry with their latest Endangered Species Act action,” said RRC Chairman Christi Craddick. “By ignoring the existing conservation plans made by state and industry leaders to protect potential Dunes Sagebrush Lizard habitat, the administration makes it clear that this is nothing more than a political game. I am proud to push back against these unscientific and irresponsible regulations and appreciate the Office of Attorney General for supporting our efforts.”

According to the RRC officials, the listing allegedly disregarded major DSL conservation measures taken by stakeholders including state agencies, oil and gas operators, and land owners that launched the Texas Conservation Plan in West Texas that protects the lizards by establishing methods that prevent incidental destruction of DSL habitat during oil and gas operations.

“Texas will certainly fight this most recent weaponization, which aims to shut down half the nation’s crude oil production and one-third of its natural gas production,” continued Christian. “Texans can rest assured that the RRC and other state agencies won’t lift a finger to help with this nonsense, because the Texas Energy Independence Act prohibits state agencies from facilitating any effort that would undermine Texas oil and gas production.”

The referral to the Attorney General can be found on the RRC website.

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