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Craddick: Railroad Commission will continue permitting in Denton, not ruling out action against ban

AUSTIN–Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick came out strong against a fracking ban passed this week in North Texas, pledging to continue giving permits to companies that seek to drill in Denton.

Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick

Craddick discussed the state’s oil and gas boom, the agency’s needs and pitfalls, and her own political ambition at a Thursday event sponsored by the Texas Tribune. The Railroad Commission is the state agency that regulates oil and gas.

Craddick called it a disappointment that the ban on hydraulic fracturing—the technique of drilling deep into the ground to release oil and gas—passed Tuesday in Denton. The ban is the first in oil and gas rich Texas.

But the Republican conceded that the oil and gas industry and her agency have likely fallen short on communicating with citizens about the processes happening increasingly near homes and schools as oil and gas production spikes and communities grow and sprawl.

“We missed as far as an education process in explaining what fracking is, explaining what was going on. And I think this is the result of that in a lot of respects and a lot of misinformation about fracking,” Craddick said.

“I will say to the city of Denton…it’s my job to give permits, not Denton’s. We’re going to continue permitting up there because that’s my job,” she said.

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Republicans take all statewide races

Update 8:40 P.M.: Glenn Hegar, who will take over as comptroller in January, released his victory statement.

Glenn Hegar

“Together, we will continue to stand up for the principles we believe in by making government more efficient, eliminating wasteful spending, and putting more money back into the pockets of taxpayers,” Hegar said.

Update 8:08 P.M.: AP called it: Republicans bested their opponents in all statewide races.

Update 7:55 P.M.: With just over 2 million early votes in, Republican candidates are leading with wide margins in all statewide races.

Original post at 6:30 P.M.: Down-ballot races garner less attention in elections but the positions are often used as a stepping stone to higher office. Gov. Rick Perry, for example, served two terms as commissioner of agriculture before running for lt. governor.

Tonight, each seat will see a new occupant as there are no incumbents in the race. The conservative candidates are favored to win across the board.

Sam Houston, Democrat for AG, on left; Ken Paxton opposite.

Some notable items in this year’s race: George P. Bush, a member of the Bush political dynasty, is making his first bid for office; the Republican nominee for attorney general admitted that he failed to register as a financial agency and could face charges or disbarment; and Ryan Sitton, if elected, would be the first engineer to serve on the Railroad Commission in more than 50 years.

Here’s a glance at the candidates:

Attorney general

Tea party favorite and Republican nominee Sen. Ken Paxton, an attorney from McKinney who spent 12 years in the Legislature, has shied away from the campaign trail after winning his contentious primary race against state Rep. Dan Branch in May. Paxton admitted to violating securities law earlier this year.

Sam Houston, the Democratic nominee, is an attorney from Houston. He has said he would reverse the ruling that prevents Texans from learning which chemicals are stored in nearby plants. He has also vowed to end state appeals in the ongoing school finance case.

Jamie Balagia, a Libertarian, and Green Party candidate Jamar Osborne are also on the ticket.

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Comptroller race: $120,000 in late money to Hegar

In the final days before the election, Sen. Glenn Hegar, the Republican nominee for comptroller, banked $120,000 in campaign contributions–namely from political action committees and high-dollar individual donors.

Mike Collier on the left, Glenn Hegar opposite

That figure is the same amount as his Democratic opponent Mike Collier garnered in contributions between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25, highlighting Republican candidates’ fundraising advantage in the state.

Mike Collier received $17,500 in the last week, according to finance reports.

The Zachry Corporation PAC, Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association and the Holts, the family that owns the largest Caterpillar dealership in the U.S. and the San Antonio Spurs, all cut $10,000 checks for Hegar’s campaign, according to new campaign finance reports.

 

Dan Patrick rakes in late money from PACs

Lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick banked nearly $300,000 in campaign donations in the last day–largely fueled by a $125,000 check from Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

Texas Lieutenant Governor hopefuls state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, left, and state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, right, shake hands following their televised debate, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, Pool)

Patrick, R-Houston, pulled in $25,000 contributions from AT&T Texas PAC, Annette Simmons, the wife of late Harold Simmons, and Robert Rowling, the Dallas billionaire who owns Omni Hotels and Resorts.

The lt. governor presides over the Senate as its president, appoints Senate committees and controls the flow of legislation in the chamber.

Patrick’s Democratic opponent Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, raised nearly $100,000 in the last day. More than $70,000 of that came from in-kind contributions for staffing and canvassing provided by Planned Parenthood.

Other notable donations:

For Dan Patrick

Devon Energy Corporation: $10,000

Texas Restaurant Association: $10,000

Dallas attorney Trevor Pearlman: $10,000

For Leticia Van de Putte

Houston philanthropist Wilhelmina Robertson: $5,000

Democracy for America: $5,000

 

Differences on display in Railroad Commissioner hopefuls dual appearance

AUSTIN—New technology in drilling has unleashed an unprecedented oil and gas boom in Texas. Production has brought billions into state coffers, created well-paying jobs and helped the state avoid recession.

Ryan Sitton on left, Steve Brown opposite

But it’s also had its pitfalls. Scientists have raised serious questions about air quality, earthquakes and protection of water resources. Increased traffic in drilling areas has brought unwanted noise to communities and potholes and wear and tear to roads. Property owners have wound up spending thousands fighting common carrier pipelines in Texas courts. One city in the heart of the productive Barnett Shale has even pushed for a ban on the practice of fracking because of problems some residents see with the industry’s proximity to homes and schools.

And some fear that if and when the boom ends, Texas land owners will be left with trashed property and little else.

Then there’s the Railroad Commission, the agency that regulates the energy sector. Critics have charged that the commission has been more of a cheerleader for industry than a watchdog for Texans.

Early Thursday morning, the two leading candidates for the third seat on the railroad commission, Ryan Sitton, a Republican, and Steve Brown, the Democrat running, came together to talk about these challenges with Jim Malewitz, an energy reporter for the Texas Tribune. Mark Miller, a Libertarian, is also running but was not at the event.

Here are three exchanges from the morning, edited for conciseness:

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Industry spending big to keep fracking ban out of Denton

Oil and gas industry money keeps stacking up against a measure to ban hydraulic fracturing—the process of blasting chemicals and water deep into the ground to release oil and gas—in North Texas.

Signs promoting opposing views on Denton's proposed fracking ban are on display outside the Denton County Elections Office in Denton, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. (Jim Tuttle/The Dallas Morning News)

According to the latest round of campaign finance reports, energy companies contributed more than $460,000 between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25. That’s on top of the $225,000 industry previously gave “Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy,” the leading group opposed to the ban.

The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that it’s the most expensive campaign in the city’s history. In all, more than $770,000 has been raised by groups opposing and supporting the ban.

If voters approve the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, Denton would be the first city in Texas—the state that leads in oil and gas production—to ban fracking. The ban has put the city at the center of a noisy debate over the safety of fracking, the economic benefit of industry and the power cities have to regulate the activity.

In the latest finance reports, major oil and gas companies such as Chevron, Enervest and XTO poured thousands of dollars into the group “Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy.” While the group did have more donations from individuals than it did in the previous filing period, industry contributions still accounted for more than 98 percent of the $466,000 total. A handful of the near 60 individual supporters listed their residence in Denton.

Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy has spent more than $340,000 in the last month on the campaign, including $142,000 for television ads.

Pass the Ban, also known as Frack Free Denton, the group supporting the ban, banked about $24,000 in the same period. The biggest donation came from Earthworks, an environmental group in DC, which donated more than $10,000 in in-kind contributions for postage and mailers. Earlier this month, a Earthworks spokesman said that more than 90 percent of the money for the in-kind contributions came from Denton donors.

The Denton Drilling Awareness Group, the previous name for the proponent group, gave $6,000 of its leftover campaign money to Pass the Ban. About two dozen other individuals—most listing their residence in Denton—contributed the remaining money.

Comptroller candidates enter home stretch on unequal footing

Candidates for state comptroller, Sen. Glenn Hegar and Mike Collier, are heading into the final week of the election on uneven footing.

Mike Collier pictured on left, Glenn Hegar opposite

Hegar, the Republican, has $2.1 million cash on hand, while Collier, the Democrat, has $10,000 left in his coffers, according to new campaign finance filings.

Those reports show Hegar, a rice farmer from Katy, banked more than $900,000 in contributions between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25. Collier, a Houston-area accountant, raised more than $120,000 in the same period.

But Collier has pumped more money into the race in the last month. The Democrat has spent nearly $240,000, mostly on advertising. Hegar has spent $92,000 in the last four weeks.

The two are set to debate tomorrow night in Austin. Theirs is the only down ballot debate scheduled for the general election. Details found here.

Health officials: State needs greater coordination, communication in dealing with infectious diseases

AUSTIN— Key medical officials are dissatisfied with the communication, guidance and level of coordination between local hospital authorities, state health officials and the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Brett Girior, director of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response

There needs to be a better management at the state level and a clear resource for training, health protocols and disseminating information, as well as greater flexibility in how state and federal money can be allocated, a panel of doctors, researchers and medical administrators told the state’s task force on infectious disease preparedness.

The 17-member task force said Thursday that it is considering changes that would expand the authority of the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and increase standardized protocol training.

But many of their proposals require action from the Legislature, which doesn’t meet again until January.

Noticeably absent from the panel providing recommendations was a representative from Presbyterian—the only hospital in the state that has dealt with an Ebola patient.

Infectious disease task force to hold first public meeting Thursday

UPDATED 10:40: A six-member panel on hospital preparedness suggested to the task force centralized training protocols for healthcare workers; a command center for sharing information with the public; and better coordination between local, state and federal officials.

Experts’ views varied most on extended treatment of patients and specialized infectious disease centers.

Joseph McCormick, dean of UT School of Public Health in Brownsville, said “broad training” is needed at community hospitals across the state to be prepared for the extended care of infectious disease patients.

“These kinds of events are not going to go away. We can’t chose where these patients are going to be” and the condition the patient will be in when they arrive at the hospital, McCormick said.

Each hospital should have a small, very well-trained staff to deal with the arrival of a new infectious diseases, he said, and be prepared to have that patient for an extended period of time if the patient is too sick to transport.

Alexander Eastman, interim medical director at UT Southwestern and Parkland Memorial Hospital, said its important to have regional specialized centers for extended treatment of such patients because of the “disruption” having even just one patient causes at community hospitals.

When the first Ebola patient arrived at Presbyterian, other hospitals “felt a disruption” because they had increased traffic in their ER rooms, he said. Having a center where infectious disease patients would be sent would help avoid those disruptions, he said.

Experts found consensus on the need for a coordinated “command system” to manage communication and public information about the presence of a new disease. That included ideas for how to maintain accurate updates through social media and other forms to avoid public fear.

William Sutker, chief of infectious disease at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, called for better coordination between federal, state and local officials.

“CDC response and guidance has been slow,” he said.

There needs to be an improved method for expediently connecting authorities and shares information between federal, state and local levels would be beneficial, he said.

The infectious disease task force has already initiated the creation of two designated Ebola centers and reiterated Thursday their support for the specialized centers.

Original: AUSTIN— The state’s infectious disease task force meets for the first time in public Thursday at the Capitol to continue discussing its recommendations for how the state should deal with infectious diseases.

Brett Giroir at Oct. 6 task force announcement

Among the topics up for discussion are how waste should be handled, the protective gear needed for healthcare workers, hospital preparedness and innovations in quickly identifying contagious diseases.

Recommendations from the task force could be used to create state protocols to have in place when a infectious disease is identified.

Gov. Rick Perry announced the formation of the task force about a week following the first diagnosis of Ebola on American soil.  Dr. Brett Giroir, CEO for the Texas A&M Health Science Center, serves as the director.

So far, the task force has recommended designating two state hospitals as Ebola centers; establishing specialized patient transport teams; increasing healthcare worker training in infectious disease protocols; having more testing labs; and granting the Department of State Health Services chief the authority to issue Enforceable Control Orders.

Perry announced yesterday that UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Medical Branch in Galveston will be designated treatment centers for Ebola.

The task force and the invited panels do not include a representative from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, the only facility in the state that has received Ebola patients.

Updates will be posted to this blog. Hearing begins at 9 a.m.

UT Austin student on flight with Ebola patient, officials say no current health risk to campus

A University of Texas at Austin student was traveling on the flight from Cleveland to Dallas on Monday with Amber Joy Vinson, the second nurse infected with Ebola,  UT Austin President Bill Powers said Friday.

UT Austin President Bill Powers

According to recent reports, the nurse was showing symptoms prior to the flight, which potentially put others on the plane at risk.

Powers said, however, that there was no reason to be alarmed about a threat of Ebola on the UT Austin campus from this event.

“The student was not seated in the zone of concern on the plane, is not showing any symptoms, is monitoring body temperature, and is in daily contact with health officials, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Powers said in a statement.

The university will be working with city, state and federal officials to monitor the situation, he said. The student, who lives in a private residence, is not attending classes or activities on campus.