Hawk Dunlap: The Urgency of this Election for Dallas-Fort Worth
I’m the only candidate running to protect Texas, rather than build a political career.
by Hawk Dunlap
The most powerful images of the toxic disasters overtaking large parts of Texas often come from rural areas. We see how unplugged wells turn farmland and vast, unpopulated stretches into massive poisonous lakes. But with an estimated half a million unplugged wells in our state -- what a national news agency called a “nightmare” -- these same risks are also present in our urban communities like Dallas-Fort Worth.
Orphaned wells can explode at any time, suddenly shooting toxic waters into the air. That's why we call them “zombie” wells -- it’s like they’re suddenly coming back to life. With so much development and urban sprawl in recent years, these lurking dangers might be on anyone’s property or near office buildings, hospitals, and schools. Meanwhile, as pollutants travel underground from abandoned wells elsewhere in the state, “oil, salt, and toxic minerals could migrate into the aquifers that supply water to cities,” The Texas Tribune explains. The risks are difficult to fathom.
It’s a problem facing other states, but Texas stands out. We’re rapidly losing precious ground to these cesspools. That's because the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) has failed miserably in its mission.
I’m running to fix that. To do the job the commission refuses to do. To protect all of Texas, from our busiest cities to our least populated counties. To get past the politics, red tape, and corruption. To stop wasting time and money, and clean up the mess.
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As I’ve traveled across Texas and spent time in DFW, I’ve met terrific people who care deeply about these issues. They know that ensuring drinkable water, breathable air, and safe communities are basic functions of government that we pay for with our tax dollars.
Many of these good folks work in the oil industry. When Fort Worth-based Weatherly Oil & Gas filed for bankruptcy in early 2019, it had more orphan wells than any other operator in Texas, according to Commission Shift. So many former employees there, like those at other companies, want these wells plugged safely. They see the devastation caused by inaction.
And living near Barnett Shale, DFW residents know why things could get even worse. As the “birthplace of fracking,” Barnett led the way in a revolution that vastly increased America’s energy supplies. But being first also means that the region has some of the oldest fracking infrastructure in place. Aging parts lead to more leaks and more abandonment.
This is fixable. Across more than three decades working in oil fields worldwide, I’ve led teams that tackled huge challenges. Many of the hardest working people I know have been out there in the trenches with me.
The problem isn’t a lack of solutions or ideas. The problem is a Railroad Commission that refuses to get tough. As I told Bloomberg in a story published by the Dallas Morning News, “They don’t want to know about it, and they don’t want anyone else to know about it. But I don’t back up too easy.”
The man I’m running to replace, Chairman Jim Wright, has allowed all these problems to get worse. Meanwhile, Tarrant County GOP Chairman has thrown his name in the ring for this seat. But he clearly has no clue what the RRC even is or does.
In Tarrant’s announcement, he didn’t even mention the unplugged wells. Instead, he promised to use the post to “defeat the left,” which makes no sense. There's nothing left or right about toxic spewage and zombie wells. He also has such a troubling history with antisemitism that GOP leaders called for his resignation.
These are the two men I’m up against in the election -- a chairman who has presided over dismal failure, and a man who doesn’t even know what he’s running for. But given how politics work, they have an edge I don’t: They’re willing to strike backroom deals to fill their campaign war chests. Deals that leave you out.
I won’t do that. To folks in the DFW and all over this state, I make a simple promise: I’ll do everything in my power to get the job done.
With me on the RRC, our state will finally see the kind of action we deserve. As much as I respect the oil industry, I won’t kowtow to its executives, or to anyone else. My only constituents will be you.
It’s a tough road ahead in these final weeks before the election. If you agree that it’s high time we put the needs of Texans first, please join my campaign. Contribute if you can. Help spread the word. Vote early, and get folks you know to do the same. Together, we can end the “nightmare” and build a better, stronger future.