A group of Sacramento-area property owners and land managers has threatened to sue the federal government if it does not remove a native beetle from the endangered species list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the valley elderberry longhorn beetle from the endangered species list in 2006. But the process dragged and the beetle is still protected.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a Sacramento nonprofit law firm, claims the delay may have cost its clients millions of dollars. Those clients include landowners, levee maintenance districts and farm organizations required to protect beetle habitat.

There are signs that the beetle population has improved, and its habitat is relatively abundant. The valley elderberry bush, the beetle’s specific host plant, is hardy and commonplace. But because the beetle remains protected, construction projects are often required to relocate or replant the bushes at great expense.

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