I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4866 

To reverse the Department of the Interior’s listing of the lesser prairie 

chicken as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, to prevent further consideration of listing of such species as 

a threatened species or endangered species under that Act pending implementation of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ 

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan and other conservation measures, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 12, 2014 

Mr. MULLIN (for himself, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. THORNBERRY, 

Mr. COLE, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. FLORES, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. 

HUELSKAMP, and Mr. BRIDENSTINE) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To reverse the Department of the Interior’s listing of the 

lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, to prevent further consideration of listing of such species as a threatened species or endangered species under that Act pending implementation of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan and other conservation measures, and for 

other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lesser Prairie Chicken 

5 Voluntary Recovery Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN 

7 RANGE-WIDE CONSERVATION PLAN AND 

8 OTHER CONSERVATION MEASURES. 

9 (a) PROHIBITION ON TREATMENT AS THREATENED

10 OR ENDANGERED SPECIES.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any prior 

12 action by the Secretary of the Interior, the lesser 

13 prairie chicken shall not be treated as a threatened 

14 species or endangered species under the Endangered 

15 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) before 

16 January 31, 2020. 

17 (2) PROHIBITION ON PROPOSAL.—On and after 

18 January 31, 2020, the lesser prairie chicken may 

19 not be treated as a threatened species or endangered 

20 species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 

21 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) unless the Secretary pub22 lishes a determination, based on the totality of the 

23 scientific evidence, that conservation (as that term is 

24 used in that Act) under the Range-Wide Plan and 

25 the agreements, programs, and efforts referred to in 


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1 subsection (b) has not achieved the conservation 

2 goals established by the Range-Wide Plan. 

3 (b) MONITORING OF PROGRESS OF CONSERVATION

4 PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall monitor and annually 

5 report to the Congress on progress in conservation of the 

6 Lesser Prairie Chicken under the Range-Wide Plan and 

7 all related Candidate Conservation Agreements and Can8 didate and Conservation Agreements With Assurances, 

9 other Federal conservation programs administered by the 

10 United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of 

11 Land Management, and the Department of Agriculture, 

12 State conservation programs, and private conservation ef13 forts. 

14 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) CANDIDATE CONSERVATION AGREE16 MENTS.—Each of the terms ‘‘Candidate Conserva17 tion Agreement’’ and ‘‘Candidate and Conservation 

18 Agreement With Assurances’’ means, respectively, 

19 such an agreement referred to in— 

20 (A) the Announcement of Final Policy for 

21 Candidate Conservation Agreements with As22 surances published by the Department of the 

23 Interior and the Department of Commerce on 

24 June 17, 1999 (64 Fed. Reg. 32726); and 


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1 (B) sections 17.22(d) and 17.32(d) of title 

2 50, Code of Federal Regulations. 

3 (2) RANGE-WIDE PLAN.—The term ‘‘Range4 Wide Plan’’ means the Lesser Prairie-Chicken 

5 Range-Wide Conservation Plan of the Western Asso6 ciation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as endorsed by 

7 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on Octo8 ber 23, 2013, and published for comment on Janu9 ary 29, 2014 (79 Fed. Reg. 4652). 

Æ 


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