[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9227]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       THE STATE OF TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.R. NO. 1955

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2011

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:

                             H.R. No. 1955

                               Resolution

       Whereas, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has 
     proposed granting endangered species status to the dunes 
     sagebrush lizard, a measure that would have a significant 
     negative impact on the Lone Star State; and
       Whereas, The business climate in Texas has been 
     consistently ranked as the nation's best, and the oil and gas 
     sector is crucial to its continued vitality; Texas is the 
     nation's leading producer of oil and natural gas, and it 
     holds 30 percent of the nation's natural gas reserves and 
     almost a quarter of its oil reserves; the oil and gas 
     industry contributes $30 billion annually to the Texas 
     economy and employs more than 315,000 Texans at some of the 
     highest salaries in the state; and
       Whereas, Despite its resilience, the Texas economy has not 
     been immune to the global economic recession; there have been 
     significant job losses over the past two years, and recently 
     high gas prices have posed new challenges; the Fish and 
     Wildlife Service failed to take these factors into account in 
     its proposal to grant endangered species status to the dunes 
     sagebrush lizard in southeastern New Mexico and adjacent oil-
     producing areas of West Texas; and
       Whereas, In addition, the service has failed to consider 
     that approximately 75,000 acres identified as habitat for the 
     lizard are owned and managed by The University of Texas for 
     the benefit of higher education; university officials have 
     estimated that the listing could stop the drilling of 
     approximately 1,000 oil and gas wells and eliminate the 
     production of seven million barrels of oil equivalent 
     annually; and
       Whereas, The Texas Legislature and the Texas Parks and 
     Wildlife Department have traditionally recognized the private 
     landowner as the primary steward of our state's natural 
     resources, but the Fish and Wildlife Service has not 
     adequately consulted with the State of Texas, Texas 
     landowners, or other stakeholders; moreover, the service has 
     failed to fully consider issues unique to species protection 
     and habitat conservation in Texas; and
       Whereas, Listing the dunes sagebrush lizard as an 
     endangered species would inflict severe economic damage, harm 
     property owners, and undermine higher education in the Lone 
     Star State; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the house of representatives of the 82nd 
     Texas Legislature hereby respectfully urge the United States 
     Fish and Wildlife Service to withdraw its proposal to list 
     the dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act 
     of 1973; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the house of representatives direct the 
     agencies of the State of Texas to cooperate with the efforts 
     of the Texas Endangered Species Task Force to investigate the 
     scientific basis of the proposed listing and the potential 
     burdens on private property rights and economic development 
     in the state; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the chief clerk of the Texas House of 
     Representatives forward official copies of this resolution to 
     the president of the United States, the acting director of 
     the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the president of the 
     Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the 
     United States Congress, and all the members of the Texas 
     delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution 
     be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the 
     Congress of the United States of America.
                                                       Joe Straus,
                                             Speaker of the House.

       I certify that H.R. No. 1955 was adopted by the House on 
     May 25, 2011, by a non-record vote.
                                                     Robert Haney,
     Chief Clerk of the House.

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