By Burt Mummolo, FOX23 News
CLAREMORE, Okla. — “What kind of impact might this have on our wildlife and our animals?” asked community activist Amber Robinson Rodriguez.
That was the question she set out to answer about Project Mustang by obtaining a report by the Department of Interior with the subject “List of threatened and endangered species that may occur in your proposed project location or may be affected by your proposed project.”
Rodriguez explained, “What I found out is that a lot of the animals that live in that site are at risk.”
While the animals themselves are at risk, time and again the report states “no critical habitat has been designated for this species” and/or “Your location does not overlap the critical habitat.”
Beale Infrastructure, the company developing the project, said in part, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the project will have no effect on any current federally listed threatened or endangered species. The project has received all required environmental clearances and is authorized to move forward.”
Even so, the report still raises concerns for those opposed to the project.
“Conservation and protecting our wildlife and our animals here in Claremore along with our farmland is—I take that personally,” shared Claremore City Council candidate Hannah Peck.
Rodriguez added, “What I’ve done with this information so far, besides provide it to you, is to put it in the hands of people who care. I don’t think that those hands are the ones that are making the votes and the decisions on the city council.”
You can read Beale Infrastructure’s full statement below:
“Beale Infrastructure has completed all required environmental reviews for the project, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the project will have no effect on any current federally listed threatened or endangered species. The project has received all required environmental clearances and is authorized to move forward. Specifically, a Threatened & Endangered (T&E) Species review was conducted by third-party environmental consultants and in alignment with the standards set forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Beale Infrastructure engaged with Olsson, a highly regarded environmental and engineering firm, to review the project site. Olsson conducted biological resources evaluations for sensitive habitats and T&E species between 2024 and 2026. These assessments were done in parallel with requirements under the Endangered Species Act through the USFWS Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC), the Oklahoma Biological Survey’s (OBS) Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory database, and the USFWS National Wetland Inventory. The assessments identified seven federal species with the potential to occur within the project site and indicated that no designated critical habitat is present. Following the IPaC submission and the subsequent review in 2026, the USDOI/USFWS determined the project has “no effect” to any currently listed species. This determination is based on a review of “the full scope of the proposed project implementation.
Background As part of the due diligence for development, a Threatened & Endangered (T&E) Species review was conducted by third-party environmental consultants and in alignment with the standards set forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). An initial step in the biological resources evaluation process is to request a T&E species list from the USFWS. It identifies “threatened, endangered, proposed and candidate species” with potential to occur within a particular site. For the Claremore data center project site, Beale Infrastructure engaged with Olsson, a highly regarded engineering and environmental firm that routinely conducts biological resources reviews for infrastructure and development projects. Olsson conducted biological resources evaluations, including desktop and field surveys for sensitive habitats and T&E species habitat suitability between 2024 and 2026. The T&E species review includes an assessment based on data obtained from the following publicly available sources:
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the ESA, obtained through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Information for Planning and Consultation System (IPaC; USFWS 2026)
The Oklahoma Biological Survey’s (OBS) Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory (ONHI) database for known occurrences of federally listed species within the vicinity of the Project Area (ONHI 2025)
USFWS National Wetland Inventory (NWI; USFWS 2024)
The IPaC species list obtained from the USFWS and occurrence data from the ONHI identified seven federal species with the potential to occur within the project site (Action Area) and indicated that no designated critical habitat is present. The USFWS species list is intended to provide the species with potential to occur on the site based on species ranges and regional data; it does not indicate or infer the presence of those species in the Action Area. Following the IPaC submission and the subsequent review in 2026, the USDOI/USFWS determined the project has “no effect” to any currently listed species. This determination is based on a review of “the full scope of the proposed project implementation.” Of the seven federal species identified in the USFWS letter, three are proposed species that are not afforded protection under the Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA), three are considered to be unlikely to occur due to lack of suitable habitat, and the one species listed as threatened protected under the FESA was considered to have potential to occur. There is one historic occurrence of this species within 1 mile of the site (ONHI 2025). However, it is subject to a species-specific 4(d) rule that prohibits incidental take within Oklahoma on certain conservation lands only; none of which are found within the Action Area.
You can read the full U.S. Department of the Interior report sent to Rodriguez here.
