Plufger two years ago introduced a bill that would give oversight of the species to the oil industry and land owners. It has gone nowhere in the House.
Congressman August Pfluger of the 11th District of Texas has introduced a Congressional Review Act that would declare null the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final rule that listed the dunes sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.
The USFWS listed the lizard last month as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The little lizard, which is native to about 4 percent of the lands in the 86,000 square miles of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, has been the subject of a tug of war between the USFWS, environmentalists and the oil and gas industry for several decades.
Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Listed Under Endangered Species Act
Texas Congressman Files LIZARD Act To Prevent Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Protections
Texas Comptroller Terminates Oil Industry Foundation set up to Protect Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
Plufger two years ago introduced a bill that would give oversight of the species to the oil industry and land owners. That bill, H.R. 4558 “Limiting Incredulous Zealots Against Restricting Drilling” Act — or LIZARD Act, would have stopped federal government oversight of any species and would have enabled individual and industry efforts to protect the dunes sagebrush lizard and other species that are endangered or could potentially be listed as endangered. The bill has gone nowhere in the House since it was introduced nearly a year ago. The issue with the dunes sagebrush lizard is that the oil industry already attempted to protect the species in Texas, and that effort failed.
USFWS
The Texas Habitat Conservation Foundation, an oil and gas industry funded foundation that, with the blessing of the State of Texas and the Obama Administration, was supposed to protect the dunes sagebrush lizard and its habitat has failed to do so, so the Texas comptroller has terminated the foundation.
Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar killed the foundation’s contract in February 2016, citing the failure of the foundation to perform repairs on several sites that are sensitive habitat for the lizard. The foundation was tasked to repair about 20 acres of land in 2013-2014 and failed to do so, according to the Austin American Statesman.
Texas, which has been embroiled in lawsuits for years regarding protections of the lizard, or lack thereof, discontinued in 2018 a state conservation plan for the species by submitting a letter from the Texas comptroller of public accounts to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Information
The dunes sagebrush lizard is found in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The dunes sagebrush lizard is native to small areas of shinnery oak dunes in these states, according to the USFWS. USFWS has not yet determined which area should be designated as critical habitat for the lizard.
