Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is now urging Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to remove a number of species from the federal endangered list, accusing the Biden-era administration of abusing the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Miller claims that the former president misused the act to undermine rural communities and disrupt economic development.
In a strongly worded statement released Monday, Miller said that the ESA has been “twisted into a weapon against rural America by the Biden Administration and their radical 30×30 land grab agenda.”
Referencing recently proposed listings of species like the Lesser Prairie Chicken, the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, and the Monarch Butterfly, Miller alleges that placing these animals on the protected list ignores the independent conservation efforts led by Texas ranchers – efforts he says have succeeded without government interference.
“Instead of supporting these initiatives, the federal government chose to punish them, strangling rural economies, overburdening agricultural producers, and sidelining crucial land needed for energy development, all while achieving little to improve outcomes for the species in question,” Miller explained.
Miller’s statement aligns with a broader conservative push to roll back federal environmental regulations in favor of what some supporters describe as “energy independence.”
Miller also voiced support for U.S. Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-TX) efforts to delist the Lesser Prairie Chicken and Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, contentious listings previously covered by DX.
The agriculture commissioner criticized the current consideration of the Eastern Monarch Butterfly for endangered status, saying it would do little to benefit the species while placing heavy burdens and restrictions on landowners.
Miller’s recent call to delist the species is part of a larger effort to undo what he called the radical “30×30 land grab agenda” – a reference to a Biden-era conservation plan that allegedly aimed to protect 30% of American lands and waters by 2030.
With Republican Doug Burgum now leading the Department of the Interior under a new Trump administration, Miller sees an opportunity to “set things right” for Texas landowners.
“This fight is about more than reversing federal overreach – it’s about restoring common sense, revitalizing rural economies, and reigniting America’s energy and agricultural engines,” Miller said. “We must end the practice of sidelining productive land under the false banner of conservation and return it to the hardworking people who know how to care for it best.”