Cornyn Offers Amendment to Block Sand Dune Lizard Listing

Press Release

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) today filed an amendment to the Energy Tax Credits Modification bill on the Senate floor that would block the proposed listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, also known as the Sand Dune Lizard, to the Endangered Species List:

"If the Administration has their way, listing this species could bring oil and gas production in the Permian Basin to a screeching halt.

"The misplaced priorities of the White House threaten property rights and jobs for West Texans, and are a missed opportunity to lower energy prices for consumers nationwide.

"My amendment will protect Texas jobs and promote red, white, and blue energy here at home."

Background

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed adding the Sand Dune Lizard to the Endangered Species List, which could shut down oil and gas production in parts of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico for two to five years. In their proposal, as recorded in the Federal Register, the FWS acknowledges deficiencies in their understanding of the lizard's habitat and the impacts of natural events and human activities on the habitat of the species, yet they are moving forward.

Citing concerns within the scientific community, Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar requesting a delay in Fish and Wildlife Service's final determination, which was granted. Sen. Cornyn has previously discussed this issue with Director Daniel Ashe, who asserted his commitment to ensuring that the Fish and Wildlife Service makes important decisions like this with a full consideration of the relevant data after traveling to the Permian Basin at Sen. Cornyn's request.

The Board of Regents for the University of Texas System, which manages more than 2.1 million acres of land in Texas, including 75,000 acres that could potentially be designated as habitat for the Sand Dune Lizard, have written to FWS stating the proposed listing is "at best premature and currently unsupported in law and fact. The proposal is based on faulty science, inadequate data, and seriously erroneous assumptions."

Senator Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services and Budget Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

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