By Jonathan Stempel
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken legal action against the Biden administration for declaring the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species. Paxton, a Republican, argues that the decision is politically motivated and could have negative consequences for property owners and energy production.
In his lawsuit filed on Monday, Paxton claims that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used flawed data and arbitrary assumptions in its decision to list the lizard as endangered. This move, according to Paxton, could impact private landowners’ ability to conduct business in the Permian Basin, a key oil-producing region in the U.S.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Midland, Texas, seeks to overturn the final rule that designated the lizard as endangered. Paxton has been vocal in his opposition to various policies of the Biden administration.
According to Paxton, the Biden administration is using environmental laws as a weapon to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries. The Railroad Commission of Texas has also criticized the listing of the lizard as endangered, calling it a political maneuver.
Texas is a major player in the nation’s oil and gas production, accounting for 43% of oil production and 27% of marketed gas in 2023, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The dunes sagebrush lizard inhabits an area of 1.25 million acres, as stated by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The case is officially known as Texas v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al, filed in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, with case number 24-00233.
Analysis:
The lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against the Biden administration’s decision to list the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered could have significant implications for property owners and the energy industry in Texas. If the final rule is overturned, it could impact business activities in the Permian Basin, a key oil-producing region in the U.S. Texas’s prominent role in oil and gas production makes this legal battle an important issue for the state’s economy and the nation’s energy sector.