The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit alleging that the Biden-Harris administration's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is waging a war on the state's oil and gas industry.
According to the Texas Bureau of Land Management (GLO), the government's classification of the Dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species is illegal and in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
GLO Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to classify the lizard as an endangered species “could have a devastating impact on the oil and gas industry,” resulting in job losses across the state and reduced revenues for the Permanent School Fund (PSF) and the Permanent University Fund (PUF).
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Buckingham emphasized the importance of prioritizing education in Texas and how the Biden-Harris Administration's “weaponization” of environmental regulations could hurt Texas' economy and education.
“As a mother, I know that my children are tomorrow's leaders and workforce,” she said. “Ensuring they receive a quality education is one of my top priorities. Part of my responsibility as Texas Land Commissioner is to ensure that billions of dollars from our vast oil-rich lands are used to fund public education.”
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“The Biden-Harris Administration's weaponization of the Endangered Species Act is an attempt to weaken Texas, cripple our energy-rich economy, and stifle education funding for our children.”
Petroglyphs and sagebrush lizard on Sand Island, Bluff, Utah, North America, USA. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Buckingham said the GLO will “fight back in every way possible to ensure Texas remains a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
The service cited three inconsistencies with the USFWS's classification of the Dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered.
- The USFWS has not presented evidence of changes in oil and gas development in the Permian Basin sufficient to overturn its 2012 finding that DSL does not meet the statutory definition of an endangered or threatened species under the ESA.
- In its analysis, the USFWS purposefully ignores Texas’ voluntary conservation efforts to protect DSL, and, according to the USFWS’s own statements, it does not consider the impacts of conservation efforts unless the conservation efforts are mandatory, permanent, and comprehensive.
- The USFWS and Biden Administration are ignoring population trends that show DSL populations are growing.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the USFWS for comment.
