Wichita Standard

U.S. Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) issued a statement after U.S. District Judge David Counts ordered the removal of environmental protections for the lesser prairie-chicken. The order follows a request from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to vacate its 2022 decision that listed the bird as an endangered species, which Judge Counts granted.

The FWS had relisted the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened and endangered in 2021 under the Biden administration. In response, Rep. Estes introduced legislation in 2022 aimed at promoting local management of the species. Estes has worked on this issue since he began serving in Congress.

“The U.S. District Judge’s order to vacate a 2022 decision that granted the lesser prairie-chicken environmental protections is great news for Kansas farmers and energy producers. The inclusion of the lesser prairie-chicken on the endangered species list infringed upon the private property rights of Kansans for years,” said Rep. Estes. “Now the lesser prairie-chicken, and common sense Kansas farmers and ranchers, have been liberated from overbearing bureaucracy. Kansas agriculture and energy will benefit from this judicial decision, and I’m grateful President Trump and his administration advocated for this outcome.”

Estes has taken several actions related to this issue during his time in office, including introducing legislation to protect private property rights in December 2022, supporting Congressional review efforts in July 2023, and leading communications with federal officials about policy decisions affecting landowners.

Ron Estes represents Kansas’ 4th district in Congress, a position he has held since replacing Mike Pompeo in 2017 (https://estes.house.gov/about/). He was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1956 and currently lives in Wichita.

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