Texas Republican Jodey Arrington has mounted an effort to stop the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) proposed expansion of the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, an area that includes several counties in his congressional district.
Arrington (R-TX) took to the floor of the House on July 24 to announce his plans to defund the initiative, which would expand the refuge from 6,400 acres to as much as 7 million acres. Arrington is Chairman of the House Budget Committee.
He penned a letter to USFWS Director Martha Williams earlier in July to express his concerns over the plan. The proposed expansion has stirred controversy among landowners, and locals involved in agriculture and energy production in West Texas. More than 300 landowners in Arrington’s district attended a meeting on the issue, where Arrington spoke.
In the letter, Rep. Arrington raised several issues with the USFWS plan. This includes what he described as a lack of congressional approval and "insufficient engagement" with local stakeholders. He also questioned the voluntary nature of federal land purchases and conservation easement partnerships outlined in the plan.
Arrington has also expressed concerns about the potential effects on property values and taxes, and restrictions on economic growth in West Texas. He requested data and responses from the USFWS about its plans, and information about the estimated cost to the federal government, the timeline for obtaining conservation easements for up to 700,000 acres of the land area, and the implications for agricultural producers in the area.
Questioning the plan’s rationale
Arrington used his remarks and letter to question the justification for the expansion, citing the stable populations of Sandhill Cranes and Pronghorns which the government is using as a rationale for the project. "Since there is no obvious threat of extinction for these animals, why are these animals used for justifying the expansion of this wildlife refuge?" he wrote.
Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening has also expressed opposition to the plan. "The expansion poses serious concerns for farm and ranch families in the impacted area," Boening stated.
Travis Mires, President of Plains Cotton Growers Inc. (PCG), also expressed support for Arrington's efforts. "Farmers across the High Plains and Southern High Plains of Texas cherish our land as we work hard to produce high-quality fiber for the U.S. and world," he said. "PCG strongly supports property owners’ rights to manage their land as they see fit,” he said.
Arrington's amendment to the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act would defund the proposed expansion. Speaking on the House floor, Arrington criticized the plan as a misuse of federal funds.
“The last thing we need to do is spend money to buy up more land to somehow either appease an environmental group or maybe just achieve - what seems to be an odd objective - having the federal government own and operate a third of our land," Arrington stated.
