HNewsWire: Attorney General Ken Paxton Challenges Biden Administration’s Unlawful Weaponization of Environmental Law AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton notified the Biden Administration of Texas’s intent to sue the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) over the unlawful listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The ESA requires the Service to make its listing determinations solely based on the best available data. In this instance, the Service relied on flawed assumptions about oil and gas development and unfounded speculation about climate concerns. Further, the dunes sagebrush lizard is protected by existing conservation efforts agreed to by Texas landowners. These existing agreements address conservation priorities while safeguarding private property rights and enabling economic development within the Permian Basin. By disregarding existing conservation efforts, the Biden Administration’s action undermines […]