Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a bill aimed at reversing the Biden administration's protections for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard. Critics argue that these protections will hinder oil and gas development.

Cruz presented his Congressional Review Act (CRA) bill to counter the decision to protect the lizard, which is native to parts of New Mexico and western Texas, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Cruz and other opponents believe that the lizard’s protection is intended to complicate oil and gas activities in the Permian Basin, a region rich in these resources.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard measures less than three inches long, excluding its tail.

“The Biden administration has used the federal government to suppress American energy production at the exact time when the country and indeed the world needs access to affordable American energy,” Cruz stated. “This disastrous rule threatens American jobs and undermines the production of energy in the Permian Basin. I call on the Senate to expeditiously take up and pass my legislation to reverse it.”