Legal Trend: Lesser Prairie Chickens 0, Oil & Gas 1.

U.S. District Judge Robert Junell vacated federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken.
 

Why did the court do this? The court concluded that the Fish and Wildlife Service did not properly consider active conservation efforts for the bird when listing it last March.

• A voluntary program exists among industry representatives and stakeholders to protect the bird. 

The Hill: Court vacates lesser prairie chicken’s threatened status     AP:In win for oil and gas, Texas court strips threatened lesser prairie chicken of protections     FoxNews     TPPF