Proposed protections for whopper crawdads could tighten regulations on Central Appalachian mining, logging

With adults that top 7 inches, the Big Sandy crayfish is one
 of the largest "crawdads." (US Fish & Wildlife photo)

"A threatened species of crayfish could receive new protections under a proposal submitted Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that might lead to new regulations on coal mining, logging and other development in Eastern Kentucky," Will Wright reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Under the proposal, 362 miles of waterways in Appalachian areas of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia would be designated as "critical habitat" for the Big Sandy crayfish, a species listed as threatened in 2016 under the Endangered Species Act, Wright reports. The proposal also seeks protections for the endangered Guyandotte River crayfish, native to southern West Virginia. The proposal notes that critical-habitat designations are granted to areas that are essential to the conservation of threatened and endangered species that may need extra protection.

The proposal names mining, logging and natural-gas drilling as some of the species' biggest threats. A spokesman for the FWS said it is working with coal companies "to address the conservation of both species," Wright reports. "The public can submit official comments through March 30."

The proposal was spurred by a 2018 lawsuit against FWS by the left-leaning Center for Biological Diversity, an organization that often sues the federal government over proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. The organization alleged the agency hadn't designated critical habitats for the crayfish within the timeline required by the act.

Zack Crouch, the at-risk species biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said granting the crayfish extra protections wouldn't prevent development, but would require developers who receive federal funding or permits to consult with FWS to ensure that their actions won't harm the species' habitat, Wright reports.