Free Republic

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. wildlife managers on Friday proposed federal protections for a rare lizard found only in parts of one of the world’s most lucrative oil and natural gas basins. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the dunes sagebrush lizard should be listed as an endangered species due to the ongoing threats of energy development, mining and climate change in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The agency will be collecting public comments on the proposed listing through Sept. 1. Environmentalists have been pushing for protections for the reptile for decades, resulting in petitions and lawsuits. There...

The Obama administration backtracked Wednesday and announced it will not declare the dunes sagebrush lizard an endangered species, saying voluntary efforts by New Mexico and Texas have headed off the need for the federal government to step in. The listing of the lizard as endangered become a major test case of the Endangered Species Act as energy companies and local residents battled the federal government for 18 months, declaring victory after the government said it wouldn’t invoke the act. Environmental groups criticized the move, saying the Interior Department ignored the science that shows the lizard’s habitat is threatened — which...