News and Updates | August 10, 2011 | Margaret Byfield --

Scattered across the Permian Basin of West Texas that crosses the Texas border into New Mexico is a little lizard that has been identified as a sub-species because notably, it carries a few more tiny scales on one leg.  While its “sub-species” status is still in question, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined the reptile warrants listing as an endangered species.  Although they have no population data and they cannot adequately identify its historical or current habitat, all these unknowns evidently lead to the conclusion that it must be endangered.

Together with the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, ASL has been asked to help organize counties in New Mexico and Texas to fight the possible listing.  Two counties in New Mexico - Lea and Roosevelt, along with Andrews, Ward, Winkler, and Crane Counties in Texas, and the Sandhills Soil Water Conservation District have all written demand letters insisting the listing be coordinated with their local governments.  So far, Lea County has met with the New Mexico office of the Bureau of Land Management, which has been managing the species habitat for several years.  They stated unequivocally that the species doesn’t warrant listing.

The Permian Basin produces 20% of our nation’s oil and natural gas.  The listing of the lizard as endangered would shut down the production of 1.5 million barrels of oil per day forcing American’s to import more foreign oil from a very hostile and volatile Middle East.  The Texas counties and Sandhills Soil Conservation District have insisted the Service meet with them as local entities to consider the science ignored in the listing process.  For the first time, ASL is working with the Texas Attorney General’s office that is waiting in the wings to file a federal lawsuit should Fish and Wildlife ignore the science and list the lizard as endangered.