Friday, January 11, 2013

SD-6 candidate boycotts TransCanada-sponsored debate

The press release, this afternoon:

Candidate boycotts debate sponsored by TransCanada

Inappropriate influence by international firm hazardous to Houston


January 11, 2013, Houston, TX

Maria Selva, the Green Party candidate in the special election for TX Senate District 6, will boycott the debate held by the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce today because it was sponsored by TransCanada, the company constructing the Keystone XL pipeline. The controversial pipeline will, upon completion, transport tar sands oil from Canada for refining at Gulf Coast refineries.

"Tar sands refining will increase toxic air pollution along the Houston Ship Channel, negatively impacting the health of the people in District 6. The whole tar sands operation from mining to refining drastically increases carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming and climate change, and is at odds with the push for clean, safe energy that is one of the principal goals of my campaign," Selva said.

"This controversial firm [TransCanada] that Houstonians and Texans have been fighting to keep out of the state should not have inappropriate influence over the candidates by sponsoring a debate among candidates who would make decisions affecting it," said Selva.

"Candidates who seek to represent the citizens of Texas Senate district 6 should not be attending events sponsored by corporations that will poison the air of the people they claim to want to represent. We need to keep money out of politics, and that starts with removing money and inappropriate influence from the decision-making process of citizens."


Maria Selva
TX Senate 6 Candidate


http://MariaSelva4TXSenate.NationBuilder.com
facebook.com/vote4maria
twitter.com/vote4MariaSelva
vote.4.maria.selva@hotmail.com

It's a great place to begin the process, at the local level, of getting the corporations and their money out of our political system. When every evaluation of a political candidate's viability starts and ends with how much money they have raised, you know the system is broken.

The system needs fixing.

1 comment:

Matt Bramanti said...

Was Selva invited?