Sen. Cornyn was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in San Antonio, the second of three children. His father was a B-17 pilot in World War II before becoming an Air Force dentist. At various points Sen. Cornyn’s family was also stationed in El Paso, Texas; Biloxi, Mississippi; Washington, D.C.; and Tachikawa, Japan.
Sen. Cornyn graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas with a degree in journalism. After starting as a biology major, hoping to become a doctor, Sen. Cornyn realized science wasn’t his passion and he switched to journalism and worked for the school paper.
We need more energy. Government should get out of the way, let the free market work, and allow more domestic energy production. This would reduce gas prices even in the near-term, expand job opportunities in Texas — a world energy leader — and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Cornyn is an ardent proponent of maximizing Texas’ and America’s energy resource potential as a comprehensive approach for our nation. In the Senate, he has supported efforts to encourage conservation while increasing the responsible production of our domestic sources of fossil fuels, and exploring alternative sources to make our nation more energy secure.
Texas is the nation’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, and Texas refineries make up almost 30 percent of the nation’s refinery capacity. Texas is also a trailblazer in the area of renewable energy, including wind, solar, and biomass, and our state leads the nation in wind-powered electricity generation capacity. The energy industry is creating millions of American jobs and helping to fuel our economic growth. Senator Cornyn knows that the keys to supporting our robust energy sector include creating a competitive tax and policy environment, providing for a trained workforce, and ensuring sensible regulation.
Senator Cornyn supports environmental policies that ensure economic viability while protecting public health. However, he opposes efforts by federal agencies to expand their regulatory reach beyond their legal authority. Under the Obama Administration, there were numerous examples of EPA overreach and abuse of authority. Senator Cornyn fought those efforts and believes environmental regulations should be based on the best available science and risk-based standards.