I was trolling the news this morning looking for stories of local interest as is my routine, and I came on one that’s a couple of weeks old but I’ve not seen discussed anywhere. It’s unfortunate because it’s an important story that demonstrates the federal government’s adversarial posture toward our state. A group called the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has petitioned the US federal fish and wildlife service to add a lizard species known as the sagebrush lizard, to the endangered species list, that conveniently enough for environmentalists is found smack in the middle of our state’s most fertile oil producing region, Midland Texas. The group charges that the oil industry combined with cattle grazing is destroying the little reptile’s habitat. Speaking purely for myself, allow me to emphatically state: even if it’s true, (something I’m highly dubious of), I don’t care! The success and happiness of the people of Midland and Texas at large are far more important to me. How ‘bout we just chalk this one up to natural selection, and let things take their course?
Area oil producers say the lizard’s addition would throw a huge kink into oil exploration and drilling operations, something greenies vehemently deny. Well let’s see who should I believe; a bunch of out of state activists, or professional businessmen who have worked in the state, and know their field inside and out?
Honestly, can the CBD folks tell me with a straight face that this not in fact, just another eco-scam designed to hurt the oil industry and clog production? Even if they can, I don’t buy it! This administration has done nothing but throw up road blocks to our nation’s attempts to obtain oil, even our own! This amounts to just another means of doing that, without congressional approval, and with the added benefit that it will adversely affect the economy of a state politically opposed to the president, and thus far least affected by the recession. Texas and New Mexico congressman are attempting to block the move by fish and wildlife, but thus far the office is planning on moving ahead anyway.
There are so many aspects of this story that bother me, I don’t where to begin. One of the most glaring is the blatant injustice of an outside group, who clearly has an agenda, playing tattle- tale to the federal government, and trying to restrict the success of Texas citizens. It’s clearly a case of the tyranny of the minority. Hopefully, our reps will succeed in keeping this nonsense from proceeding, but either way, the next administration is going to have to do some serious deregulation in order to get our economy kick- started. I just hope it’s not too late for the energy industry in Texas.