Agency delays protections for imperiled bat, prairie chicken

By JOHN FLESHER
AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Biden administration is temporarily delaying legal protections for two imperiled species after getting pushback from congressional Republicans. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last November designated the northern long-eared bat as endangered. It also listed one population of lesser prairie chickens as endangered and another as threatened. The designations were scheduled to take effect this month. But the agency has delayed them until late March to give affected industries such as logging and ranching time to adjust. GOP lawmakers have criticized the designations. Environmentalists say the delays could give critics an opportunity to derail the protections.