Rivals say protecting endangered lizard threatens oil, gas industries

Posted at: 03/21/2011 8:12 PM | Updated at: 03/21/2011 8:14 PM
By: Joe Bartels, KOB Eyewitness News 4; Taryn Bianchin, KOB.com

The Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to list the sand dune lizard on the endangered species list, protecting its habitat from everything, including drilling. The lizard, native to southeast New Mexico and four counties in adjacent Texas, is causing a stir among oil and gas producers in the state who fear its protection could put thousands of New Mexicans out of work.

“The listing of the lizard has several bad outcomes, but jobs is the worst outcome. We stand to lose agriculture production, all of the oil and gas jobs; it might shut down the nuclear enrichment facility,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who cites New Mexico's joblessness at 9 percent.

“It’s time for our government to see how we can be managing both [nature and industry]," said Pearce. " We need to be protecting the species, that’s never the question, but we can protect the species and create jobs simultaneously."

A nonprofit in Carlsbad that deals with impacts from hazardous material on the environment has studied the issue closely and says it has come up with a plan to create a lizard safe-haven, while allowing the oil and gas industry to continue operating. “All indicators are that the plan is actually working. We are getting lands, and conservation measures on lands, for both the lesser chicken and the sand dune lizard,” said Douglass Lynn, director of the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management.

There is no word on when a final endangered species listing would be made.

> Read about the dwindling habitat of the sand dune lizard on Wikipedia, who have the second smallest range in the entire U.S.

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