U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said last week that the dunes sagebrush lizard might not be listed as endangered if enough energy companies and ranchers voluntarily agree to preserve the sand-dwelling reptile’s habitat.
About 95 percent of the dunes sagebrush lizard’s habitat in New Mexico and more than 70 percent of it in West Texas are now under voluntary “conservation” contracts.
The Fish and Wildlife Service must decide by mid-June whether to list the sand dune lizard as endangered.