Environmentalists Protest Oil Pipeline Billionaire's Appointment to Texas Parks and Wildlife Board
On Wednesday, the Texas Senate Nominations Committee — or, more accurately, a lone Republican Senator Brian Birdwell — heard testimony strongly opposed the nomination of Kelcy Warren to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission. Warren is the CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, the company responsible for the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Trans-Pecos and Comanche Trail pipelines in Texas.
Warren was nominated to the TPWC by Governor Greg Abbott in 2015, and has since participated at the committee's meetings. Perhaps it's only a coincidence that Warren personally contributed $550,000 to Gov. Abbott during his 2014 campaign, and dolled out almost $900,000 through Energy Transfer Partners in political contributions during that same time.
Opponents of Warren’s nomination to a body that's supposed to protect Texas parks and wildlife cite what they insist are several conflicts of interest, including his company's Trans-Pecos Pipeline. Members of the Big Bend Conservation Alliance and other advocacy groups say that the pipeline, which runs through the Rio Grande River and three West Texas counties, could contaminate local water sources.
Warren isn’t popular with West Texas ranchers, either. Despite their protests, ETP has exercised its power of eminent domain, forcing access to private property for construction of the pipeline. So far ETP has sued 39 landowners along the route of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline who wouldn't cooperate with the company’s plan.
Read more: http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/04/12/environmentalists-protest-oil-pipeline-billionaires-appointment-to-texas-parks-and-wildlife-board