John Cornyn Weighs in on Threatened Listing of Salamanders

A Texas U.S. Senator has weighed in on a federal department’s decision to list two species of salamander as threatened species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will list the Georgetown and Salado salamanders as threatened species under the Endangered Species act.

Some in the City of Georgetown and Williamson County opposed the measure, saying that the measure would damage development in the area for the salamanders, which are found in springs in Bell and Williamson Counties.

Senator John Cornyn weighed in, saying, “If there’s any question the Obama is targeting Texas in its unprecedented acts of government overreach, we need only look at this latest irresponsible ESA listing, which is supported by questionable science and ignores the input and conservation efforts of the Central Texans who will be directly impacted.”

Cornyn continued, saying, “Listing these salamanders is a serious blow to job growth and economic development in the region, particularly where a lack of clarity in the final special rule could leave development projects in limbo for a year.”

Senator Cornyn previously introduced an amendment to reduce funding for FWS listing activities to help halt proposed listing of these salamanders and the Lesser Prairie Chicken.