EXCLUSIVE: Republican lawmakers are introducing legislation to undo a method used by the Biden administration to limit the ability to produce oil.
The “LIZARDS Act of 2025” would remove the dunes sagebrush lizard from the endangered species list, as proponents of the bill argue that it was used by the Biden administration to limit energy production in places like Texas’ Permian Basin — a hub for the American oil and gas industry. The legislative effort is being led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kansas.
“Former President Biden spent four years fulfilling his promise to kill the fossil fuel industry one horrible policy at a time – including listing the dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act, a direct attack on our hard-working men and women in the energy sector,” Pfluger said in a statement.
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“This listing, along with many others, was completely misguided and repudiates significant private conservation efforts in West Texas,” he added.
In addition, the duo is also sending a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to remove both the lizard and the lesser prairie chicken from the list.
“Reversing these listing would recognize the success of local conservation efforts and restore regulatory certainty for the communities and industries that depend on access to these lands,” the letter states.
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The service added the dunes sagebrush lizard to the list in May 2024, and the lesser prairie chicken was listed in 2022.
“From day one, President Biden used every tool in his toolbox to trample on the livelihoods of America’s energy and agricultural producers,” the Republican lawmaker said in a statement.
“His administration continuously ignored the facts on the ground and decided federal bureaucrats were better equipped to manage these populations than local citizens. Our bill restores power back to the local communities most impacted by these decisions and removes the regulatory handcuffs put on them by the Biden Administration. We look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Burgum to reverse these ill-informed listings and unleash the American energy dominance 77 million Americans voted for this past November.”
The Trump administration has made major energy policy changes, including scrapping certain regulations on Alaska, declaring a national energy emergency, and signing a Congressional Review Act to end a tax on natural gas production.
