(Image credit: Racsoagrafal; CC BY-SA 4.0)
Tomorrow, the Texas Senate Committee on Nominations will take up the nomination of pipeline billionaire Kelcy Warren to the UT System Board of Regents. If that name rings a bell, it's because Warren is the CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Trans Pecos Pipeline, and many other natural gas and pipeline projects that have left a legacy of abusiveness towards Native people and environmental damage.
Last session, the Senate voted in favor of his appointment to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission. As odd as it sounds - a major polluter being put in a position of influence with our treasured green spaces - it's not surprising because appointments like this are made by Governor Greg Abbott as a thank you gesture for large campaign contributions (Warren has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Abbott over the years).
Both of these institutions, the UT System and Parks & Wildlife, have interests in oil and gas. Parks & Wildlife leases land to frackers and grants easements for pipelines. It's a bad practice that should be stopped (as we said last session) but it's not a huge part of their revenue stream.
The UT System's oil and gas interests, on the other hand, are a huge part of their wealth. University Lands controls 2.1 million acres in West Texas, much of it leased to oil and gas companies. More than 9,000 wells sit on UT System owned land. In FY 2017, oil and gas royalties brought in $625 million.
Many UT students, as well as green-minded students across the UT System, know about UT's dirty little secret, and Environment Texas has raised awareness of the pollution UT is responsible for even while espousing to be serious about green and sustainable initiatives on campus.
Despite UT’s sustainability commitments, and its platitudes to look into better methane controls for the fracking it allows on its lands, the Texas Senate will most likely vote in favor of Warren’s appointment. There’s just too little pressure on the Senate to push back against Abbott and his cronies.
It’s also unknown whether Warren will step down from his seat on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission. He should, since he didn’t belong there in the first place.
We oppose the nomination but also believe, under no circumstances, should Warren be allowed to sit on the Board of Lease for University Lands. On March 29, 1929, the 41st Texas Legislature created the Board for Lease (BFL) of University Lands. The BFL has authority over the leasing of oil and gas on Permanent University Fund (PUF) Lands and consists of the Commissioner of the General Land Office, as Chair, two members of the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System, and one member of the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System. All members serve two-year terms, with the exception of the Land Commissioner.
Can you imagine if Kelcy Warren sits on the UT Board of Regents and then gets named to the Board of Lease for University Lands? Talk about major conflict of interest.
If you want to speak out about this, your best bet is to call your State Senator. The hearing tomorrow is not in a committee room. It’s at the desk of the Committee Chair, Dawn Buckingham, which technically you could show up for. If you do, we'll see you there.