Local News
100 Protesters Demanded TPWD Commissioner Step Down
Last week, news outlets reported that nearly 100 protesters stood outside of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department commission meeting, asking Kelcy Warren to recuse himself from the vote concerning a possible pipeline that would go through a southeast Texas park.
Dave Cortez, with protesters from the Sierra Club, explained to Fox 7,”We are in solidarity with the people of West Texas fighting two pipelines: the Trans-Pecos Pipeline in Alpine, the Comanche Trail Pipeline in El Paso County. The same company behind them, Kelcy Warren’s company ‘Energy Transfer Partners’ is also building the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.”
Protesters in Austin wanted the public and Warren to notice how voting for the pipeline would be of obvious interest to himself regardless of what it does to the environment and others. The chants and angry cries from the protestors were kept quiet enough to hold the meeting.
The Texas Observer stated that Warren did recuse himself from voting on the issue. Since another commissioner recused themselves as well, the issue didn’t go to a vote and will be discussed again in January. The news also notes that Warren agreed “to meet with Pete Hefflin of the Society of Native Nations to discuss desecration of sacred burial grounds.”
