Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington Proposes Bill to Remove Seven Freshwater Mussels from Endangered Species List.

Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) has introduced legislation to remove seven types of fresh-water mussels from the endangered and threatened list of threatened and endangered species. The legislation comes after the Fish and Wildlife Service announced a final decision listing the seven species and designating 1,578 river miles as critical habitat. Arrington accused the Obama administration of using these designations to regulate ag and energy producers out of business. The Fish and Water Service cited water diversions from the Colorado River, Rio Grande, and other river networks as leading threats to the species, along with drought, flooding and pollution. However, conservation measures taken by the Brazos River Authority, the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Trinity River Authority contributed to the decision to drop 231 river miles along the LowerColorado River from the final critical habitat designation.