Oklahoma Joins Lawsuit Over Status of Lesser Prairie Chicken
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has sued the Biden Administration over a rule designating the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.
Drummond sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, alongside attorneys general from Texas and Kansas, over a rule that designates the lesser prairie chicken as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
The ruling took effect last month. It requires companies, farmers and ranchers to take special care - that can prove costly - not to harm the birds.
Drummond says the rule places burdensome restrictions on Oklahoma ranchers who graze livestock and impedes the development of energy pipelines, oil drilling, wind farms and roads.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruling states the primary risk for the lesser prairie chicken is habitat loss and land fragmentation.
The agency estimates there are about 32,000 in the wild.
Drummond says he’ll be using a fund that was recently created by the state legislature to help Oklahoma in litigation against the federal government for the suit.
Fort Sill Death
Officials are investigating after a soldier serving on Fort Sill was found dead in his home off-post.
Fort Sill officials announced that a drill sergeant with the 434th Artillery Brigade was found dead in his home off-post Tuesday morning.
Brigade Commander Colonel Michael Stewart was solemn in a statement included in the announcement.
He said, “We are saddened by the loss of a teammate, our thoughts are with the family, loved ones and fellow Soldiers during this difficult time.”
Lawton Police Department and Fort Sill’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating.
Update on a Lawsuit Involving Water Rights in Oklahoma
A federal court in North Dakota has blocked the implementation of a rule that would broaden the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory authority.
The Biden administration’s Waters of the United States rule defines which bodies of water are federally regulated under the Clean Water Act.
After a decade of flip flopping policies, the new rule says the EPA can regulate not just navigable federal waters but everything upstream of them.
But Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and other state officials say the new definition is confusing and places unreasonable burdens on farmers and ranchers, whose farm ponds and pastures might be saddled with regulations meant for drinking water sources.
At the end of February, Oklahoma and 23 other states sued the EPA, saying the new rule violates their Tenth Amendment rights.
A federal judge has granted those states a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo while courts figure out a permanent solution.
That means the EPA won’t be able to implement the new definition in Oklahoma and the other states who challenged the rule.
Police Dogs Complete Sniff Test
Before police dogs can sniff out explosives they have to pass a test. One of those tests was held recently at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.
About 20 K9 units are in Oklahoma City for the AFT national odor recognition test.
Trained on almost 19,000 smells, the dogs are tested on their ability to distinguish the difference between explosive materials and distracting odors.
The test consists of 15 cans, containing a multitude of odors.
Two-year-old K9 officer Jasmine was able to identify all the “hot” or explosive materials in her test. Jasmine is trained to work with a bomb squad.
Her handler, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Mark Tschetter, has a lot of respect for his partner.
That kind of bond is common between officers and their canines, says Special agent Kevin Brown. “Without a doubt, they are the heroes of the heroes,” Brown said.
Once the animal has passed its test, the dog and their handler are federally certified.
The Tiger King Launches 2024 Presidential Bid
The Tiger King, also known as Joe Exotic, is running for president - again.
Joseph Maldonadoo is well-known in Oklahoma, but rose to national fame during the pandemic as the star of the Netflix series “Tiger King.”
Now he’s launching a 2024 presidential bid from prison.
He’s running as a Democrat. He also ran in 2016 as an Independent, and in 2018 ran for governor as a Libertarian.
Maldonado’s Twitter account says he changed his affiliation to force the Democratic Party to “answer legitimate questions and meet in the middle on hot-button issues.”
His platform: responsible gun regulation, reproductive rights, mental health and criminal justice reform.
Maldonado is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for multiple crimes, including violations of the Endangered Species Act while running his zoo in Wynnewood, and a murder-for-hire plot against his rival and fellow wildlife park owner Carol Baskin.
_________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU AM NewsBrief.