Press Releases

Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) released the following statement today after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) officially finalized the removal of the lesser prairie-chicken from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. 

“Today is a massive win for common sense, for Kansas, for the hardworking farmers and ranchers who have been the true stewards of our land for generations, the energy producers, and our community partners,” said Rep. Estes. “For too long, D.C. bureaucrats attempted to weaponize the Endangered Species Act to implement a hostile land grab, ignoring the stable population data and the successful voluntary conservation efforts already in place.

By officially stripping these overreaching protections, we are liberating Kansans from an unscientific and burdensome mandate that threatened our local economies and American energy independence. I have fought this battle in Congress since I came into office, and I am proud to see the Trump administration follow through on restoring local control and protecting private property rights. We have proven that we can protect our natural resources without the heavy hand of the federal government crushing the very people who feed and fuel this country.”