LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An attempt to repeal Nebraska’s black-tailed prairie dog law has hit a roadblock that will likely kill it for the year.

Opponents managed to derail the bill Thursday just before a final vote in the Legislature.

The law allows counties to control the spread of black-tailed prairie dogs when a landowner’s neighbors complain. The animals are an ecologically important native species that some ranchers view as pests.

A procedural vote initiated by Sen. Al Davis, a Hyannis rancher, kept the bill from passing Thursday.

Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley says he told the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, that lawmakers would debate the bill until 10:15 a.m. Beyond that, Hadley says he won’t allow it back on this year’s agenda.