STATEMENT

Kobach secures major win for Kansas ranchers and energy producers

TOPEKA – (February 26, 2026) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' decision to de-list the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species:

“The lesser prairie chicken battle is one that I have been fighting since the day I took office as attorney general. At last, we have a final victory in hand. This is a huge win for Kansas ranchers and energy producers, because the Biden administration’s listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species would have crippled energy production and limited when and where ranchers could graze cattle on their own properties. Our successful litigation protected private property rights, supported our rural economy and stopped federal overreach.”

The Biden Administration listed the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species in 2022. In 2023, Kobach, joined by attorneys general in Texas and Oklahoma, and other groups like the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and the National Cattleman's Beef Association sued. Later, U.S. District Court Judge David Counts granted a federal motion to reverse the Biden-era listing.

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