Ruling on Endangered Species Act listing has wide implications

Oil and gas and agricultural interests in Colorado and four nearby states celebrated a Texas federal judge’s ruling last week vacating Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie chicken. Environmental interests were less enthused. While the ruling may ease the regulatory burden for certain entities in the region, its real significance could reach much further.

The judge found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service misapplied the factors that it must consider to determine whether a species qualifies for ESA protection…