Senator Roberts Issues Statement on the Lesser Prairie Chicken

Press Release

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today released the following statement on the Obama administration's decision to abandon its latest attempt to list the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species:

"I have said all along that with a little rain, we will see the lesser prairie chicken population bounce back," Roberts said. "As we have come to expect with the Obama administration, they never let common sense get in the way of a costly regulation."

The Department of Justice moved to drop the appeal of rulings by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

In a statement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they intend to reassess the status of the species based on the court's ruling and the best available scientific data.

"We have certainly not seen the last of the Obama Administration's regulatory agenda," Roberts said.

In 2014, Senator Roberts asked for and received a six month extension of the listing determination. He has signed letters against the listing and supported an amendment in the Farm Bill to review lesser prairie chicken conservation efforts underway.

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