# Plain Language Summary: Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act

This bill would remove federal protection from the lesser prairie chicken in five states: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. Currently, the lesser prairie chicken is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, which means the federal government restricts certain activities on land where these birds live to protect them from extinction. This bill would take that bird off the threatened species list entirely in these five states and prevent the federal government from ever listing it again in these areas.

The practical effect is that landowners, oil and gas companies, and developers would face fewer restrictions on how they use their land in these states. Activities like drilling for oil and gas, building infrastructure, or clearing land for agriculture would no longer need to consider the impact on lesser prairie chickens. States would gain more control over managing the bird's population locally rather than following federal rules. Supporters argue this gives states and local communities more say in land management decisions, while critics worry it could lead to the bird's decline since the species has already lost much of its habitat over the past century.

The bill requires the federal government to remove the lesser prairie chicken from the threatened species list within 60 days of the law passing. This is a significant shift in how this particular bird is protected, moving responsibility entirely away from federal oversight to individual states.

Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act

Estes, Ron

Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act This bill prohibits any population of the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, or New Mexico from being listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The lesser prairie-chicken is a type of grouse. Currently, two distinct population segments (DPS) of the lesser prairie-chicken are listed under the ESA. The Southern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is listed as endangered and the Northern DPS is listed as threatened. The bill removes both populations from the list. In addition, the bill bans Interior from listing any population of the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered or threatened in the future.