By DFWRCC - Feb. 7, 2008ARLINGTON, 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 Henry has assisted TxSharon, a respected blogger who has documented failures of the Railroad Commission to protect citizens of North Central Texas from water contamination by Injection Wells and chemical disposal ponds. He has assisted citizens in the DFW metroplex in understanding the gas drilling/transportation process so that they could participate with their local city councils in passing stronger ordinances.
For the past three years Dale Henry has traveled the State of Texas talking with citizens and speaking out at public hearings against the Trans Texas Corridor. Mr. Henry understands the danger in running pipelines too near major traffic corridors. He objects to the exercise of eminent domain for private/public infrastructure projects. Whenever a government exercises eminent domain, the project should be totally for the public good is the message he has consistently delivered to lawmakers, citizens and the Texas Department of Transportation.
In making this endorsement, DFWRCC is stating the co-founders opinion that Mr. Henry is the best qualified candidate in either the Democratic Primary or Republican Primary to serve on the Railroad Commission at this time.
