Comment Period On Lesser Prairie Chicken Extended
By: Karl Rundgren
Updated: March 6, 2013
MIDLAND -- West Texans will get more time to comment on whether the Lesser Prairie Chicken should be listed as a threatened species.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that the fowl be listed as threatened, and the comment period on the matter was originally supposed to last through March 11th.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife will still close that comment period on March 11th, but they will reopen it again in the future. The exact date isn't clear--since they are waiting on a 5 state plan before making that decision.
Because of that, Fish and Wildlife is urging people to comment before March 11th, but they will have another chance in the future if they don't.
However, the final decision on the matter will still come down in September.
The Lesser Prairie Chicken has a habitat in the High Plains region which stretches the Permian Basin on up to Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado.
If the species listed as threatened, federal protections of the habitat could negatively affect wind energy, oil and gas and ranching in the area.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper released a joint statement opposing the proposal to list the species as threatened in January 2013.
U.S. Representatives Randy Neugebauer and Mike Conaway have also spoken out against the potential listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that the fowl be listed as threatened, and the comment period on the matter was originally supposed to last through March 11th.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife will still close that comment period on March 11th, but they will reopen it again in the future. The exact date isn't clear--since they are waiting on a 5 state plan before making that decision.
Because of that, Fish and Wildlife is urging people to comment before March 11th, but they will have another chance in the future if they don't.
However, the final decision on the matter will still come down in September.
The Lesser Prairie Chicken has a habitat in the High Plains region which stretches the Permian Basin on up to Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado.
If the species listed as threatened, federal protections of the habitat could negatively affect wind energy, oil and gas and ranching in the area.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper released a joint statement opposing the proposal to list the species as threatened in January 2013.
U.S. Representatives Randy Neugebauer and Mike Conaway have also spoken out against the potential listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened.
