This species appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a status of least concern, last assessed in 2016. Petitions have been made to protect the white-tailed prairie dog, but they have been denied by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to insufficient scientific data describing current population trends. This denial is being reconsidered, because former deputy assistant secretary Julie MacDonald has been found to have improperly influenced the scientific basis of the denial.
The white-tailed prairie dog species is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List and has been subject to petitions for protection. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service initially denied these requests due to insufficient data regarding current population trends, but this decision is being reconsidered following allegations of improper influence by former deputy assistant secretary Julie MacDonald on the scientific basis for the denial.