TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is about to make waves with a lawsuit disputing the federal government’s listing of the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered.

In the next couple of days, Kobach says he, along with attorneys general from Texas and Oklahoma, plan to sue the Biden administration over the designation. He says the impact of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision could be devastating.

In an interview with 27 News Wednesday, Kobach blamed drought conditions for the bird’s population decline. He says the same thing happened in 2012, but once rain returned, the population nearly doubled.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) estimates lesser prairie-chickens may have once numbered millions, but populations have declined drastically due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Recent surveys estimate the current lesser prairie-chicken population at around 32,000.

The Endangered Species Act not only restricts drilling in the parts of western Kansas, but requires ranchers to get governmental approval to graze their cattle. Kobach says this is an imposition on Kansans’ rights.

“If they wanted to change where they are grazing the cattle, they’d have to get a ‘mother, may I’, special permission from the government to do that,” Kobach said. “It’s a huge imposition of property rights of Kansas ranchers.”

Kobach also addressed Kansas lawmakers vote Wednesday to overturn a veto by Gov. Laura Kelly of a bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and womens’ sports. Kobach, who is in favor of this ban, says it just makes sense.

“I think any reasonable person would say ‘this is girl’s sports, only girls can compete.’ If you have the advantage of being born a male, you either compete in boy sports or compete in something else, but don’t make girls sports unfair,” Kobach said.

Kobach says he’s very confident in his office’s ability to defend this law in court against any challenges.