PERMIAN BASIN, TX (KWES) - The Texas Comptroller's office is coming up with another plan to protect the dune sagebrush lizard.
The threatened species was on a previous plan to get oil companies to voluntarily help limit land to protect the West Texas lizard, but the plan failed.
The original Texas Conservation plan came about six years ago and it needed help from operators to voluntarily join in to help save the species. The problem was not very many companies hopped on board. As production and mining grew, things like pesticide spraying affected the lizard's diet.
One of the frac sand mine companies, Preferred Sands, began operations in Monahans this year. Although the company's location is not a threat to the lizard, they signed onto the conservation plan.
The Texas Comptroller's office hopes this new plan will be a little more flexible as production continues to grow in our area.
It will be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service by the end of July.
