Rep. Mann Commends District Court Ruling to Overturn Endangered Status of Lesser Prairie-Chicken

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) released the following statement after the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas reversed the listing of the lesser prairie-chicken (LPC) on the endangered and threatened species list under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): 

“Kansas farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers have always been and always will be the original conservationists of the land," said Rep. Mann. "The District Court of West Texas’ ruling to remove the lesser prairie-chicken from the endangered and threatened species list honors their stewardship of the land and acknowledges the facts on the ground. This ruling is a win for Kansas agricultural and energy producers and a huge loss for radical climate activists and bureaucrats who have abused the Endangered Species Act for over a decade to hurt American agriculture and energy production.” 

Since coming to Congress, Rep. Mann has fought vigorously to reverse the LPC's listing. In April 2025, Rep. Mann sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum urging him to delist the lesser prairie-chicken from the threatened and endangered species list. In January 2025, Rep. Mann introduced legislation to remove the LPC from the threatened and endangered species list and to prohibit future efforts to relist the LPC.

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. 

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 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.

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