dunes sagebrush lizard

Last month, the lesser prairie chicken lost its federal protections after a yearslong legal battle between conservationists and the oil and gas industry. KUNM sat down with the Permian Basin Petroleum Association’s Michael Lozano to talk about why producers oppose formal protections for other endangered species – such as the dune sagebrush lizard.

Last week, a Texas judge decided to vacate a decision to list the lesser prairie chicken on the Endangered Species List, leaving conservationists worried about the precedent this could set for other at-risk species in the Permian.