Rep. Mann, Senator Marshall Introduce Bill to Delist Lesser Prairie-Chicken
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) led 14 of his colleagues in introducing legislation to remove the lesser prairie-chicken (LPC) from the threatened and endangered species list and to prohibit future efforts to relist the LPC. In November 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule to list the Northern Distinct Population Segment of the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act despite an increase in the lesser prairie-chicken population. Rep. Mann’s bill would reverse this rule. Senator Marshall introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
“America’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers are the original conservationists of the land,” said Rep. Mann. “For more than a decade, farmers, ranchers, private landowners, agricultural and energy producers have enacted voluntary conservation efforts to preserve the lesser prairie-chicken’s population. Despite these efforts increasing the population by more than 15,000, President Biden’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ignored the facts and decided that the federal government is better equipped to manage these populations than local citizens. This bill is the first step in rolling back burdensome regulations from the previous administration that handcuffed Americans. I look forward to working with President Trump and the DOGE Caucus to roll back these senseless regulations and to get our country back on track."
“In listing the lesser prairie-chicken, the Biden Administration prioritized the interests of radical environmentalists over rural America. Kansas and surrounding states have contributed millions of public and private dollars to conservation efforts that are committed to preserving the lesser prairie-chicken,” said Senator Marshall. “This work resulted in increasing the population of the bird well before the unnecessary and heavy-handed decision to list it. Fortunately, with this bill, we can undo the burdensome government micromanagement of agriculture and industry in western Kansas and celebrate the voluntary, locally-driven conservation efforts.”
Reps. Derek Schmidt (KS-02), Ron Estes (KS-04), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Frank Lucas (OK-03), Josh Brecheen (OK-02), Don Bacon (NE-02), Gary Palmer (AL-06), Scott Perry (PA-10), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Tom McClintock (CA-05), Brian Babin (TX-36), and Keith Self (TX-03) joined Rep. Mann in introducing the legislation.
In May 2021, Rep. Mann criticized the listing of the LPC as endangered and threatened. After Rep. Mann pressured U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency extended the public comment period for citizens to submit feedback on the proposed rule. In November 2022, he blasted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final rule that ignored the facts of the LPC population and declared a proxy war on American agriculture and energy.
In February 2023, Rep. Mann led a bicameral Congressional Review Act to strike down the LPC’s listing on the threatened species list. The resolution passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2023. Rep. Mann strongly condemned President Biden’s veto of the resolution and his refusal to listen to America’s agriculture and energy producers.
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