Biden vetoes two Republican-led bills to undo protections for the prairie bird and northern bat

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has vetoed Republican-sponsored bills intended to undo federal protections for two endangered species that have seen their populations plummet over the years. Biden says the measure would overturn “science-based rulemaking” that offers important protections for the once-abundant lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat. The president also says the bills would undermine the Endangered Species Act. Environmentalists have long sought stronger federal protections for the prairie bird, which is at risk from oil and gas development, livestock grazing and farming, along with roads and power lines. The long-eared bat is one of 12 bat types threatened by a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome.