Sen. Moran Applauds Removal of Lesser Prairie-Chicken Listing
FILE - This undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a male lesser prairie chicken in southeastern New Mexico. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, that new designations for the lesser prairie chicken scheduled to take effect then had been bumped to March 27. The agency is granting endangered status to the grassland bird's southern population segment while listing the northern segment as threatened. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – today applauded the removal of the lesser prairie-chicken from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), following a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas:
“The removal of the lesser prairie-chicken from the endangered and threatened species list is a major win for Kansas farmers, ranchers and rural communities. For years, Kansas producers have worked to protect the bird’s habitat through voluntary, locally-driven conservation efforts, but the listing’s burdensome federal regulations put severe strain on many Kansas industries. I have worked to oppose the listing of the lesser prairie-chicken for more than a decade, and I applaud today’s decision to remove the listing and continue to support local efforts to promote voluntary solutions that will protect the bird’s habitat without placing unnecessary burdens on our agricultural community.”
Items to Note:
- In August 2025, Sen. Moran applauded the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas decision that the lesser prairie-chicken listing should be removed.
- Sen. Moran last year joined his colleagues in introducing legislation to bolster the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), helping to promote conservation efforts by maximizing enrollment options for producers seeking to preserve wildlife habitat.
- In January 2025, Sen. Moran joined his colleagues in introducing legislation to delist the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered and threatened under the ESA.
- On May 3, 2023, Sen. Moran gave remarks on the Senate floor applauding the passage of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution of Disapproval to nullify the listing of the lesser prairie-chicken as a threatened species under the ESA. The CRA was later vetoed by President Biden, and Sen. Moran voted to override the veto.
- On July 16, 2021, Sens. Moran and Marshall and Rep. Mann led a group of their colleagues in requesting a 90-day extension to the comment period for the proposed listing of the lesser prairie-chicken.
- On May 21, 2021, Sen. Moran joined his colleagues in urging the Biden administration’s U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to not list the lesser prairie-chicken under the ESA.
