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Dale Earns Austin Chronicle Endorsement
We are pleased to report that Dale Henry has been endorsed by the Austin Chronicle for the March 4 Democratic Primary over his two opponents! This endorsement is a major coup for the campaign. Here is some of what the Austin Chronicle had to say about Dale:
Voters have a rare opportunity to vote for a Railroad Commission candidate (i.e., energy-industry regulator) who has professional experience in the oil and gas industry and is well-versed in how the commission operates. Unlike most past and present commissioners, Henry doesn’t regard the post as a mere stepping stone to a higher political office….he is passionate about the environment, the benefits of renewable energy, and the health and safety of Texans – matters that are too often ignored by a commission with a historically laissez-faire attitude toward the industry.
But wait, there is more! The Chronicle also did a feature on the race:
Hall’s most serious opponent is Dale Henry, who, despite being seriously underfunded, is the only candidate with hands-on industry experience and who has worked as a private contractor for the commission. This is Henry’s third run for a commission seat. In his 2006 campaign, he spent less than $50,000 – most of it from his own wallet – and drew more votes than Gov. Rick Perry, losing to a relatively new Perry appointee, who had the luxury of running as an “incumbent” on the Republican ticket – typically the way railroad commissioners get their political kick-start. Henry, a plainspoken man from Lampasas, says he’s eager to eliminate the practice of “back-alley politics” at the commission. “This time, the Democrats are getting their act together and filling all those empty precinct chairs we had,” he said of the state party’s lackluster enthusiasm in the 2006 election. Precinct chairs are essential get-out-the-vote catalysts in general elections.
Printable versions here (endorsement) and here (full story).
Our momentum is building! Onward to the Primary!!!!
RRC Commissioner Williams’ Gift From Lobbyist Shows We Need Campaign Finance Reform
Some new developments in the saga of energy lobbyists giving elected officials gifts of Super Bowl tickets are really helping highlight why Dale’s “Texans First Campaign Finance Reform” strategy is an important factor in the race for Texas Railroad Commission. Check out Dale’s press release here.
Dale Gets Great Press From East Texas Media Tour
Dale went on a media tour of North East Texas last week, and earned some great press from the Longview News Journal, and the Marshall News Messenger, among other publications.
You can read the full story from the Marshall paper here, and the full story from the Longview paper here.
Here are some excerpts from the Marshall article:
It’s all about water, said Dale Henry, Democratic candidate for Texas Railroad Commission.
“My campaign is important for one reason,” Henry said, “and that is because the state of Texas is running out of water. It is an abused natural resource and the Railroad Commission has done nothing about it for the past 106 years.”
[…]
While many people may not stop to think about it that way, Henry pointed out that oil and gas drilling operations have a tremendous impact on ground water.
“Oil and gas activity inherently produces a lot of water,” Henry said. “Water is what is used to bring it to the surface, but on its way, the water accumulates contaminated materials.”
A common disposal method for the liquid is “to put it back in the ground.”
Henry said he learned of a DeBerry preacher whose church hasn’t had water in a number of years. “One well was drilled too close to his church and all the wells in the area are contaminated with salt water. You can drill a hundred good ones, but it takes just one bad well to create a whole bunch of problems,” Henry said.
Good drilling practices are particularly important at this point in time because so many production companies are now using a horizontal approach.
“There’s an area called the Barnett Shale,” Henry said. “It is a very thick layer of stone and breaking through it has never made the effort worthwhile until horizontal drilling. That’s the key.”
In this method, the pipeline goes down for a distance, “turns a corner,” and goes under the stone, Henry explained.
This type of drilling uses “millions of gallons of water per day. Sometimes it will be as much as 275,000 gallons,” Henry added.
With such large quantities to be disposed of, Henry said it is more important than ever that the Railroad Commission check all drilling permit applications thoroughly, a practice he claims is not currently followed.
“This rubber-stamping has to stop,” he said.
Interestingly, although talking about “rubber stamping” by the Railroad Commission has been something Dale has been doing for months, his opponent has now adopted the phrase as well, in a clear attempt to capitalize on the impact it has with the media.
Dale Henry: More Qualified, More Knowledgable Than The Rest
Here is a quick quiz for you:
Which of the following Railroad Commission candidates was the only one not chided by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for not knowing much about the office they were running for?
a.) Art Hall
b.) Dale Henry
c.) Mark Thompson
If you answered “b,” you hit the nail right on the head. From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
But it’s also clear that not all the Democrats are well-versed on commission responsibilities.
For instance, Thompson has claimed that the agency lacks authority to set municipal rates. “When you think about it, they don’t control rates in the cities,” he said.
Actually, the commission has great authority over cost-of-service rates charged within cities.
Likewise, Hall stated at one time on his Web site that he would make railroad safety an issue in the race. Despite its name, the Texas Railroad Commission has no authority over railroads.
Dale Endorsed By DFW Regional Concerned Citizens
Dale Henry has been endorsed by the DFW Regional Concerned Citizens. From that group’s press release:
ARLINGTON, TX - Feb. 7, 2008: DFW Regional Concerned Citizens, a watchdog activists group/think tank, formally endorses Dale Henry for Railroad Commissioner. DFW Regional Concerned Citizens recognized Mr. Henry last year as 2007 Texan Friend of the Environment for his service in educating citizens about safety and water conservation as gas drilling escalated in the densely populated Barnett Shale region of NCTexas. DFW Regional Concerned Citizens rarely endorses candidates in the primary, however, all of the founding members of DFWRCC voted to endorse Mr. Henry for Railroad Commissioner because of their consensus that his expertise as a safety engineer in the petroleum industry and work on milestone renewable energy projects, water conservation and research and development in technologies to increase the output of existing oil and gas wells better equips him to understand and regulate the Texas energy sector.
Mr. Henry, a retired UT Austin trained petroleum engineer, has devoted his life since retirement to pro-bono service to neighborhood and environmental citizens’ groups during turbulent years when the Railroad Commission has failed to protect the environment, neighborhoods, schools and homes from industrial encroachments by gas and oil producers. Mr. Henry understands what regulations are necessary and what are excessive. He has used previous runs for Railroad Commissioner as opportunities to highlight shortcomings in the regulations which endanger and have cost lives in Texas.
It is our opinion that Mr. Henry’s presence on the Railroad Commisssion will be beneficial to other members and to the citizens of this State. His belief that Railroad Commission inspectors, who currently work only weekdays, should be on-duty nights and weekends when most wells are drilled, makes sense to us. We believe that his experience in the industry will enable the Railroad Commission to understand the ramifications of how energy regulation is implemented in Texas.
Dale Earns Endorsement Of The South’s Oldest GLBT Civil Rights Organization
Dale has earned the endorsement of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus! We’re very excited about this important endorsement from Harris County. Check out the press release.
The Media Is Paying Attention!
In a year with a U.S. Senate race atop the ticket and numerous down-ballot contests taking up column inches in newspapers across the state, it’s been difficult to find the media paying attention to the race for Texas Railroad Commissioner. However, as the primary draws closer, media attention is starting to focus around this race.
The Wise County Messenger, in North Texas, is one of several papers paying close attention to the race. Check this out:
Hall took a little heat during the audience question and answer segment of the forum. Hall was questioned about a possible conflict of interest if elected to the RRC because his wife Stephanie is a lawyer for Valero Energy Corporation.
Hall said there is no conflict because his wife works on international issues dealing with Valero.
Hall was also questioned about his ties to the H.B. Zachry Corporation. He accepted campaign finance money from Zachry during his run for city councilman in San Antonio. Zachry is a Texas-based company working with Cintra, a Spanish company, to build the first stage of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor.
Hall will be running against Democrats Dale Henry and Mark Thompson in the primary.
Henry also made a presentation at the forum.
Henry, 76, lives near Austin. He said his experience makes him the ideal candidate for the position.
“I have over four decades of experience in the oil and gas industry,” Henry said. “I know how to solve problems in the field.”
He said the RRC needs to better enforce the rules it already has in the books. He said that starts by not “rubber stamping every permit.”
He also said commissioners need to ensure that all the information on permit applications is correct.
Last year several residents from Greenwood were able to halt a proposed commercial disposal well from going in after discovering incorrect information on the company’s permit application.
Wise County is a hotbed for saltwater disposal (also called saltwater injection) wells, and this race is of particular importance in that region.
This week on a swing through East Texas, Dale also met with the Longview News-Journal and the Marshall News-Messenger. We’ll update you when those stories are on the web.
Dale Earns Harris County Democrats Endorsement
Check out the press release here. People across Texas are realizing that Dale is the true progressive in this race!
Stonewall Democrats Of Austin, ALGPC Endorse Dale!
Endorsements for Dale keep rolling in! Check out the latest press release touting Dale’s endorsements from the Stonewall Democrats of Austin and the Austin Lesbian/Gay Political Caucus.
Stonewall Democrats Of San Antonio Endorse Dale!
The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio have endorsed Dale in his race for Texas Railroad Commissioner! Check out the press release here.
While beneficial to the Texas economy, the oil and gas industry, if left unchecked, poses a significant danger to our environment.
Read about how Dale Henry will make protecting the environment his number one priority.
Endorsements:
