I spoke on the Senate floor Thursday night to call attention to my amendment to reverse the decision by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife to list the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The LPC was listed at a time when much of Kansas was in a severe and prolonged drought. As the bird’s habitat area has recently received more rain and snow fall, its population has surged 20 percent. This is just one of the reasons that I, like many Kansans, believed the bird should not have been listed in the first place. Increased regulations due to the LPC listing last spring continue to threaten the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, disrupt oil and gas exploration and wind energy projects, and hurt the economies of many small towns scattered across our state. There are ways to conserve the species without infringing on private property rights and hindering economic development in rural Kansas. I don’t believe listing the LPC as threatened is the solution and will continue to fight to reverse the government’s misguided decision.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 21:43:57 +0000
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