Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford contends the American Burying Beetle is another example of what he calls the “new weapon of the environmental left.” That’s why he recently wrote the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ask it to remove the insect from its endangered species list, a story we reported on last week.
“This is the new weapon of the environmental left and that is to focus on finding some species whether that be plant, insect or bird or mammal that they can identify and say that this species is endangered,’ stated Lankford in an interview with OK Energy Today. “They will especially target oil and gas or commercial construction and say these areas are a problem and so they will try to throw roadblocks into any kind of commercial development.”
He cited a water project in Holdenville that has been delayed because of the discovery of one of the burying beetles, “and it’s costing them millions of dollars in mitigation.”
The Senator said he has yet to receive a response from the federal agency7.
“The burying beetle is a common insect found all throughout the Midwest and now the Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to slow down construction,” added the Senator, “when I would simply say it’s a common bug, do not slow down construction.”
Listen to Jerry Bohnen’s interview with the Senator.