Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act

Subjects: Animals, Animal protection and human-animal relationships, Birds, Colorado, Endangered and threatened species, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Summary:  <p><b>Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act</b></p> <p>This bill prohibits any population of the lesser prairie-chicken (<i>Tympanuchus pallidicinctus</i>) in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, or New Mexico from being listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The lesser prairie-chicken is a type of grouse.</p> <p>Currently, two distinct population segments (DPS) of the lesser prairie-chicken are listed under the ESA. The Southern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is listed as endangered and the Northern DPS is listed as threatened. The bill removes both populations from the list. </p> <p>In addition, the bill bans Interior from listing any population of the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered or threatened in the future.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 248 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 248

    To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exclude certain 
 populations of the lesser prairie chicken from the authority of such 
                      Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 10, 2023

  Mr. Estes introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exclude certain 
 populations of the lesser prairie chicken from the authority of such 
                      Act, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Local Management of the 
Lesser Prairie Chicken Act''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN POPULATIONS OF LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKEN 
              UNDER ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OF 1973.

    (a) Exclusion of Certain Populations of Lesser Prairie Chicken.--
Section 4(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``The Secretary shall by 
        regulation'' and inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph 
        (4), the Secretary shall by regulation''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(4) Applicability to Lesser Prairie Chicken.--The Secretary may 
not make a determination under this subsection that any population of 
the lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in Kansas, 
Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, or New Mexico is threatened or 
endangered.''.
    (b) Delisting of Certain Populations of Lesser Prairie Chicken.--
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, 
the Secretary of the Interior shall remove each population of the 
lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in Kansas, 
Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico from the lists of threatened 
species and endangered species that are published pursuant to the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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