July 15, 2010

Today is Day 130 of liberal trial lawyer Bill White refusing to release his taxes from his years in public service.

Bill White refuses to release his taxes from 1993-1998, years he held public service positions that required him by law to complete annual personal financial disclosures. While Bill White was Deputy Secretary of Energy (1993-95) and Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party (1995-98), he was required by law to complete annual personal financial disclosures that he has also failed to make public.

July 15, 2010

A company that paid Bill White millions to serve on its board of directors from 2003-2010 has admitted to Congress that it lied to the EPA when it promised to stop injecting diesel fuel into wells in underground sources of drinking water.

In December 2003, BJ Services and two other companies signed an agreement with the EPA that said, “The companies agree to eliminate diesel fuel in hydraulic fracturing fluids injected into CBM (coalbed methane) production wells in USDWs (underground sources of drinking water) within 30 days of signing this agreement.” [1]

Yet between 2005 and 2007, BJ Services violated this agreement by “using 2,500 gallons of diesel-based fluids in several fracturing jobs,” as the company has admitted to Congress. [2]

“While Bill White was making millions serving on its board of directors, BJ Services was violating an agreement with the EPA to stop injecting diesel fuel into wells in underground sources of drinking water,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “This dishonesty has already been admitted to Congress, yet Bill White refuses to accept responsibility and instead is now suggesting the entire industry has behaved as his company did when it violated its agreement with the EPA. Bill White’s blatant disregard for the truth creates potential harm for others in the industry who follow rules and regulations.”

While mayor of Houston, Bill White earned more than $2.6 million serving on the BJ Services board. Words used to describe this agreement include “unusual,” “rare,” “ill-advised,” and “dangerous.” [3, 4]

July 13, 2010

Today is Day 128 of liberal trial lawyer Bill White refusing to release his taxes from his years in public service.

“Liberal Bill White refuses to release his income taxes from his years as Deputy Secretary of Energy and Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, just as he refuses to offer any new policies for moving our state forward,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner.

Bill White refuses to release his taxes from 1993-1998, years he held public service positions that required him by law to complete annual personal financial disclosures. While Bill White was Deputy Secretary of Energy (1993-95) and Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party (1995-98), he was required by law to complete annual personal financial disclosures that he has also failed to make public.

July 12, 2010

“If liberal Bill White wants to engage in an honest debate before the people of Texas, he must first come clean and release his taxes from all of his years in public service,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “The only thing preventing a debate is Bill White’s refusal to release tax returns he filed while Deputy Secretary of Energy and Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, both positions that required him by law to file annual personal financial disclosures. If Bill White has nothing to hide, why won’t he allow the public to learn the contents of these missing tax returns?”

Bill White refuses to release his taxes from 1993-1998, years he held public service positions that required him by law to complete annual personal financial disclosures. While Bill White was Deputy Secretary of Energy (1993-95) and Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party (1995-98), he was required by law to complete annual personal financial disclosures that he has also failed to make public.

July 12, 2010

A company that paid Bill White more than $2.6 million is one of two companies under investigation by Congress for admittedly pumping diesel and other dangerous chemicals into the groundwater, though Bill White attempted to deceive the Texas Farm Bureau regarding this startling truth last week.

Bill White served on the BJ Services Board of Directors from 2003-2010, and BJ Services has admitted to Congress that it used diesel fuel while fracturing between 2005 and 2007. As a board member, Bill White had oversight of these actions and all of the company’s operations.

“Bill White is shamefully trying to use the fracturing industry to cover up the fact that the company that paid him more than $2.6 million – while he was mayor of Houston – is one of two companies Congress is investigating for admittedly pumping diesel and other dangerous chemicals into the groundwater,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill White refuses to be held accountable for the rogue actions of his company, which has already admitted to Congress that it has been polluting.”

On July 8, 2010, White told the Texas Farm Bureau, “How could a governor of Texas attack a citizen of the state and one of its leading businesses on the basis that the whole industry was under investigation by Representative Henry Waxman of California? How could he do that? Simple answer. Because Rick Perry thought it would score political points and it would be more interested in getting re-elected than the truth or who he would hurt. Draw some other conclusion from those facts if you can.” [1]

On Feb. 18, 2010, the House Energy and Commerce committee issued a release stating, “As Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the last Congress, Rep. Waxman requested and received information from the largest hydraulic fracturing companies - Halliburton, BJ Services, and Schlumberger - on the chemicals used in their fracturing fluids. According to this data, two of these companies used diesel fuel in their fracturing fluids between 2005 and 2007, potentially violating a voluntary agreement with EPA to cease using diesel. Halliburton reported using more than 807,000 gallons of seven diesel-based fluids. BJ Services reported using 2,500 gallons of diesel-based fluids in several fracturing jobs. Halliburton and BJ Services also indicated that they used other chemicals - such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene - that could pose environmental risks in their fracturing fluids.” [2]

While mayor of Houston, Bill White earned more than $2.6 million serving on the BJ Services board. Words used to describe this agreement include “unusual,” “rare,” “ill-advised,” and “dangerous.” [3, 4]

July 8, 2010

While mayor of Houston, liberal trial lawyer Bill White used eminent domain to condemn land that helped one of his top campaign donors close a $12.5 million land deal, leading to a lawsuit from the landowners. The city was forced to settle the lawsuit for more than twice the appraised value of the property. [1]

White hid this abuse of power from the Texas Farm Bureau today, just as he has hidden his taxes for his years in public service for 123 days and counting.

“While mayor of Houston, liberal Bill White abused eminent domain to help one of his top campaign donors make millions of dollars,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill White has a history of abusing his public positions to personally profit, from unethically steering millions in taxpayer dollars to a company he had a financial relationship with following Hurricane Rita, cashing in on his Washington experience under President Clinton to make millions in the Middle East, to rewarding campaign donors with land grabs.”

Developer Ed Wulfe and his wife, who benefitted from the condemnation, have donated $25,100 to Bill White since 2003, according to campaign financial reports. [2]

In describing the condemnation, Andrew Wheat, research director for Texans for Public Justice, said, "It looks as if the city of Houston was all too eager to bulldoze the people — and condemn the property — that prevented a powerful political donor from realizing his ambitions.” [3]

Also criticizing the condemnation was South Texas College of Law Professor Matthew Festa, a specialist in land use law. According to the Houston Chronicle, Festa “said he was particularly troubled by a memorandum White wrote explaining his decision. In the March 11 memo to council members, White says that if the city has to take just part of the land for the road widening, it makes better sense to take the entire plot. A city often has to pay the full value of a tract in condemnation cases if a partial taking renders the remaining land less valuable, legal experts say. ‘If the public pays fair value of the whole tract,’ White wrote, ‘it should keep the whole tract and put it to public use if there is one.’ Those last four words — ‘if there is one’ — imply that the park idea came later, Festa said. To take land, a local government has to need it for a public use, he explained. ‘It sounds like he's willing to come up with some ex post facto justification for the taking after he's decided to take the property,’ Festa said. Although doing it that way may not be illegal, Festa said, it is ‘odd and troubling.’” [3]

July 7, 2010

During an appearance in Kerrville on Monday night, Bill White pretended to be a defender of the environment, yet neglected to confess that BJ Services, a company that paid him $2.6 million while he served as mayor of Houston, is under investigation by Congress for potentially polluting groundwater in North Texas (SOURCE: “White linked to company facing pollution probe,” Houston Chronicle, 3/17/10).

“While Bill White talks about the importance of protecting the environment, he conveniently fails to mention how he profited from a company being investigated by Congress for possibly polluting North Texas groundwater,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “As Bill White talks out of both sides of his mouth in the effort to hide his abysmal record and shady business dealings, he continues his no-substance campaign which has failed to produce any new policy initiatives and continues to tear down Texas values.”

Not only is Bill White’s hypocrisy on environmental issues made evident by his relationship with BJ Services, but the fact that he earned more than $2.6 million from the company while he also served as mayor of Houston raises serious questions about how else he could have profited from his years in public service. Bill White needs to come clean with the people of Texas and release his tax returns for all his years in public service.

July 5, 2010

"Bill White is a shameful candidate who has denied active military families the right to vote, mismanaged the Houston budget and profiteered by steering business to a company he had financial ties with during Hurricane Rita while he was Mayor of Houston. Bill White continues to have more in common with President Obama than he does with the concerns and beliefs of Texans.

"It is unfortunate that Bill White failed to unveil one new policy initiative this evening and chose instead to continue a campaign based on personal attacks, rather than ideas that would move Texas forward. Under Governor Perry’s leadership, Texas continues to have one of the strongest economies in the nation and is a leader in job creation."

July 5, 2010

The close relationship between liberal trial lawyer Bill White and President Obama continues as former Houston police chief Harold Hurtt has joined the Obama Administration as director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination.

Hurtt was Houston’s police chief when White was mayor and the city was recognized as a sanctuary city by the U.S. Department of Justice for the police department’s official policy stating, “Officers shall not make inquiries as to the citizenship status of any person.” [1,2]

White repeatedly opposed efforts to lift that policy despite the wishes of the Houston Police Officers Union and the murder of a police officer by an illegal immigrant in 2006. [3,4]

“Liberal Bill White must be thrilled that President Obama hired his former police chief to expand sanctuary city policies, but most Americans are not,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill White has more in common with the failed policies of President Obama than he does with the values and beliefs of Texans.”

July 2, 2010

This July 4 weekend, Americans of all backgrounds will come together to celebrate our country’s freedom and thank the brave military men and women who have served our nation. Yet as the wait for liberal trial lawyer Bill White to release his taxes for his years in public service reaches Day 117, Texans also continue to wait for White to apologize for his past anti-military actions.

“Liberal Bill White has yet to apologize for his shameful support of litigation and legislation to restrict the voting rights of our military,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “On July 4 weekend, our nation’s military deserves gratitude from all Americans – and an apology from Bill White.”

In March 1997, as Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, White supported frivolous lawsuits filed by two Democratic candidates in Val Verde County who claimed that approximately 800 mail-in ballots cast by military members caused them to lose their November 1996 elections. At the time, “White said military voters are entitled to have a say in the races for federal offices – president, vice president and the Congress – but not in state, county or local elections.” [1]

Weeks later, White defended partisan legislation that military advocates warned “would sharply restrict voting rights for Texas armed services personnel stationed elsewhere.” [2]

The restrictions, included in an amendment sponsored by Rep. Hugo Berlanga, passed the Texas House on April, 30, 1997. The next day, the Houston Chronicle published the article, “Bill would deny military personnel vote in local elections,” describing the anti-military legislation. (Full article below) [3]