The fate of the lesser prairie chicken in the American Midwest will be decided as legislators are set to debate on whether or not the bird should still be included in the list of endangered species for 2021.
A group of Republicans from Oklahoma is proposing an amendment to the defense bill to prevent the classification of the lesser prairie chicken, or Tympanuchus pallidicinctus, as an endangered animal.
The proposal comes after the House Armed Services Committee decided to lift special protection sanctions for another wild bird, the greater sage grouse.
Republican Reps. Jim Bridenstine, Steve Russell, Markwayne Mullin and Frank Lucas believe both species of birds are interfering with how the military is able to use its lands for testing and training.
Legislators from the Democratic Party, however, plan to block the proposal of the Republicans starting with the provision on the greater sage grouse. The group includes Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), Tim Walz (Minnesota), Raúl Grijalva (Arizona), Rick Larsen (Washington), Niki Tsongas (Massachusetts), Diana DeGette (Colorado), Jared Polis (Colorado) and Jackie Speier (California).
Both Republican and Democratic proposals will be discussed during the debate on the defense bill. The House Rules Committee will announce which amendments out of the more than 300 proposals will be accepted on Wednesday.
In April, Democrats argued that the provision on the greater sage grouse should not be included in the defense bill during the deliberations of the House Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers pointed out that the proposal runs against efforts to preserve endangered animals in the country. Their argument was defeated by a vote of 36-26.
"This is a perfect example I believe of the abuse of the Endangered Species Act and how it's being used to shut down military installations in the economy," Republican Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia said.
He asserted that the greater sage grouse is known to be a game bird in Georgia that can be hunted legally.
"We actually have hunting season on greater sage grouse in many states and any of you have hunted our there would recognize that there really is no shortage in most of the areas that I've been to," Scott added.
The defense bill is considered a "must-pass" bill, which means it can amended with provisions on policy that might not be directly related to the primary purpose of the bill itself.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture | Flickr
