The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has ended endangered species protections for the dunes sagebrush lizard, a roughly 2.5-inch-long reptile native to the Permian Basin in Texas. This decision comes after state Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the federal government over the designation, arguing that the Wildlife Service did not use the best scientific and commercial data when it declared the lizard endangered in 2024.

Background

The dunes sagebrush lizard has faced threats from oil and gas exploration and development in the region for decades, according to biologists. After the species was designated as endangered by the Biden administration and granted federal protections in 2024, Paxton sued, prompting a settlement on July 21 that vacates the 2024 classification and requires the Wildlife Service to reassess the lizard’s status.

Paxton applauded the wildlife service’s pending reassessment and framed the initial classification as a misstep that did not consider habitat restoration efforts. The wildlife service said that it is still committed to working with local partners to preserve the lizard’s natural habitat.

Conservationists and biologists have pushed back on Paxton’s effort to rescind the lizard’s endangered status, arguing that the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to change the status to benefit oil and gas interests. A new reassessment of the sagebrush lizard’s status is expected within two years of the settlement.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.