Wayne Christian Hails Federal Decision Ending Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Endangered Species Act Protections

Wayne Christian Hails Federal Decision Ending Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Endangered Species Act Protections

AUSTIN, Texas - Oil and gas regulator Wayne Christian today applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) decision to revoke the Endangered Species Act listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard, a move that aims to resolve litigation pursued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on behalf of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and marks what Christian called a significant victory against federal regulatory overreach affecting American energy production.

"For years, Texans watched the Obama and Biden administrations weaponize the Endangered Species Act against the people who power this country," he said. "The goal was never about protecting wildlife. It was about using federal bureaucracy as a tool to restrict oil and gas production and undermine American energy independence."

The lawsuit, filed by the State of Texas and unanimously supported by the RRC, several state agencies and industry stakeholders, challenged the FWS 2024 decision to list the species despite extensive voluntary conservation agreements in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The plaintiffs argued that the listing failed to adequately account for ongoing conservation efforts across a region that includes parts of the Permian Basin, the nation's most productive oil and gas region.

"As I said years ago, conservation works best when it's led by the men and women who work these lands every day, not by Washington bureaucrats weaponizing the Endangered Species Act against American energy," Christian added. "Texas oil and gas producers have shown that responsible development and conservation can coexist, including in the Permian Basin, where voluntary agreements are already in place."

In a court filing tied to the settlement, the FWS reportedly acknowledged that the 2024 listing relied on a "serious and fundamental" error and failed to properly account for ongoing conservation and habitat restoration efforts in Texas and New Mexico. The Justice Department said the mistake resulted in an incomplete evaluation of conservation efforts. The settlement is pending approval by the federal judge overseeing the case in Midland.

Christian concluded that the decision reflects a broader shift in federal policy.

"Environmental stewardship and energy production are not mutually exclusive," Christian said. "This decision, along with the prior delisting of the lesser prairie-chicken and the halt of the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge expansion, demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to reversing years of federal overreach in which species listings were used to restrict land use, impede development and diminish domestic energy production. Under President Trump, species protections will no longer serve as a false pretext to block responsible development or penalize American energy producers."