The State of Texas has filed suit against the United States Department of the Interior, et al., over the listing of several species of freshwater mussels as threatened or endangered in the Endangered Species Act.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office challenges the legality of an administrative rule listing the Central Texas mussels, and establishing a critical habitat for all seven species.
- Guadalupe Fatmucket
- Texas Fatmucket
- Guadalupe Orb
- Texas Pimpleback
- Balcones Spike
- False Spike
- Texas Fawnsfoot
According to the Attorney General’s Office, this Final Rule harms Texas by infringing on the sovereign interests of the State, which they argue has “a robust statutory and regulatory scheme to regulate wildlife, including provisions to recognize species as threatened or endangered, and to provide enhanced protections for such species,” additionally citing burdensome regulations.
The defendants generally deny the allegations in their original answer to the Court.
The case is listed as Cause Number 6:24-cv-00081-H and the suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, San Angelo Division.
Lead plaintiff in the case is Wesley Scott Williams with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
The defendants are represented by Elizabeth Kirby with the U.S. Department of Justice.
