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Why I'm Running
Texas’ oilfields are among the world’s most dangerous. Here’s what we need to do.
by Hawk Dunlap
Across more than three decades, I’ve worked in every major oil field on the planet. I’ve spent time in more than 100 countries, seeing the dangers and risks firsthand. These include sites in troubled nations ravaged by war, terrorism, and drugs, from Nigeria to Iraq, Kurdistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Venezuela. I’ve dealt with blowouts, fires, and all sorts of complex drilling challenges.
But the conditions of our oil fields here in Texas are some of the worst I’ve ever seen.
I’m a fourth generation oil man. My great-grandfather drilled wells in Oklahoma. My grandfather showed up in Kilgore nearly a century ago and built a career in oil and gas. My father worked pipelines, and my stepfather worked for a drilling contractor.
So I’ve been around oil my whole life. I know how it works, and how it’s supposed to work. Not like this. We’re not supposed to have thousands of unplugged wells, poisoned water supplies, and massive radioactive cesspools like “Lake Boehmer.” These conditions destroy land, crops, and water supplies.
The situation we’re in is not an inevitable result of oil production. It’s a result of neglect, incompetence, and corruption by the same people who are supposed to be solving it. As Bloomberg put it in a headline, “Texas Oil Boom Spawns a Toxic Crisis of the Industry’s Own Making.” (I was interviewed for that article.)
Fighting for Texas
This disaster is giving our great state a bad name. People across the country and around the world are learning how a tiny group of us here have had to turn to social media to get the word out and fight for Texas.
Enough is enough. It’s time for the state government to end the toxic disasters, both literal and metaphorical. That's why I’m running for the Texas Railroad Commission.
I might be the least “political” politician you’ll ever meet. I’m way more comfortable trudging through oil fields than sitting in a stuffy office. I vastly prefer a meal at the Waffle House over a fancy dinner that leaves you hungry afterward anyway. I’ve even said I’d rather eat dried manure than ask people to help fund a political campaign.
But here we are. The Texas RRC is refusing to take responsibility and finally end the scourge of unplugged oil wells. While it gives lip service to problems, things on the ground, for people like you and me, are getting worse.
The Role of Government
Just like so many other truly conservative voters, I believe in small government. It should do what “We the People” pay it to do through our tax dollars, and no more. This is a powerful example.
The RRC’s job is to regulate the oil and natural gas industry. The commission claims that, “As long as it exists the commissioners and employees will fiercely defend the public's interests.” Texans know this isn’t happening. We can see it with our own eyes.
The man I’m running to replace, Chairman Jim Wright, has overseen these failures. And as the Texas Tribune reported, Wright initiated the crafting of new waste disposal rules even though he owns stock in hazardous waste management companies. Industry representatives had more than two years to help craft those rules, and the public was given only a month to comment, the report said.
This isn’t small government. It's a government agency in bed with big business. And the people left out are Texans who pay the price. So as dirty and nasty as politics can be, I rolled up my sleeves -- well, the sleeves of my coveralls -- and entered the race.
I’ve been traveling more than ever, hearing directly from people suffering, letting them know how I can serve. In a state whose motto is Friendship, I believe a government representative should act as a friend to the people. As for the corrupt leaders and big businesses trying to stand in the way of what the people of Texas deserve, here’s my message: Don’t mess with Texas.
Hawk Dunlap is a Republican candidate for Railroad Commissioner. Learn more at hawk4texas.com.
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