Under the guise of saving lizard, eco-left group seeks to kill NM oil & gas industry

In another lawsuit filed by the Enviro-Marxist dark money group, the “Center for Biological Diversity” (CBD), it hopes to stop oil and gas production in the Permian Basin to protect the “dunes sagebrush lizard.” 

“The lizard lives in a very small area of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico overlaying a part of the Permian Basin, which over the last decade has been one of world’s fastest-growing oil and gas extraction areas,” the group wrote in a press release Thursday.

“The 2.5-inch-long dunes sagebrush lizard has the second-smallest range of any lizard in North America. The lizards inhabit a rare ecosystem where they hunt insects and spiders in wind-blown dunes. They burrow into the sand beneath low-lying shinnery oak shrubs for protection from extreme temperatures.”

CBD claims in a new lawsuit that the U.S. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is “stalling in making a decision on whether to grant Endangered Species Act protections to the dunes sagebrush lizard.”

“More than 95% of the original shinnery oak dunes ecosystem has been destroyed by oil and gas extraction and other development, as well as herbicide spraying to support livestock grazing. Much of the lizards’ remaining habitat is fragmented, preventing them from finding mates beyond those already living close by. The lizard is further imperiled by burgeoning sand-mining operations in the area — a secondary impact of the oil and gas industry, which uses the sand for fracking,” claimed the group, without citing any sources for their assertions.

The group cites “climate change” as the cause of the supposed habitat issues, exacerbated by oil and gas.  

“Dunes sagebrush lizards are perfectly adapted to their shinnery oak dune habitats, but they won’t survive the oil and gas industry without protection,” said Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate at the Center. “Climate change isn’t just caused by burning fossil fuels. It’s also driven by the destruction of carbon-storing natural habitats like those needed by the lizard. This destruction in turn is the main cause of the extinction crisis and thus the oil and gas industry’s destruction of the natural world is a double whammy.”

The Center for Biological Diversity is known for its sweeping lawsuits, which have attempted to harm the oil and gas industry, as well as the cattle industry.

Last year, CBD filed lawsuits aiming to “protect” the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse in the Lincoln National Forest (LNF), which would have effectively banned ranchers from grazing due to claims the elusive mouse, which no one has actually seen in the LNF, is “endangered.”

Time will tell if CBD’s lawsuit to halt oil and gas production in the Permian is successful under the guise of protecting the dunes sagebrush lizard will be a success. If so, it could have a devastating impact on the New Mexico and West Texas economies.

In many instances, these lawsuits by groups to save species such as the Mexican spotted owl have stopped logging and forest maintenance, which have caused or worsened fires and fire danger in New Mexico’s forests. The group also sued the Trump administration over construction of the border wall

CBD has radical enviro-Marxist views, including support for human population control, with measures such as male sterilization. According to Influence Watch:

CBD’s Population and Sustainability Program asserts a “link between human population growth and the wildlife extinction crisis” and that “we can still save wildlife, by choosing to stop hogging the planet.” CBD asserts having just one child “increases your carbon legacy by 20 times what you could save over a lifetime of recycling, switching to low-voltage light bulbs and driving a hybrid car — combined.”

The program claims to have distributed more than a half-million “endangered species condoms” – prophylactics packaged in wrappers with colorful images of wildlife. The condom packages have been emblazoned with contraceptive slogans linking human reproduction to animal endangerment (i.e.: “Wrap with care, save the polar bear”), with each related to narratives explaining the supposed connection between danger to the particular species and the birth of new babies. 

CBD also encourages male sterilization. During the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (“March Madness”), the Population and Sustainability newsletter encouraged male fans to “get a team of players together — if you have like-minded friends” to undergo group vasectomy surgeries. “March Madness is upon us,” began the message. “And as all the number one seeds prepare for the tournament, it’s time to think about whether you want your own seeds to advance.” Playing along, according to CBD, “means you can help give wildlife like your favorite mascots, from wildcats to horned frogs, a better shot at surviving past the playoffs.”

In a July 2018 edition of the same newsletter, CBD denounced then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as “Trump’s Dangerous Supreme Court Pick” due to Kavanaugh’s alleged “track record of ruling against access to abortion” which CBD stated is “a critical part of reproductive freedom and protecting women’s health.” The missive ended with a call-to-action encouraging readers to ask their U.S. Senators to vote down the Kavanaugh appointment.