Following the furor that erupted after it was learned that Texas State Rep. Eddie Lucio III was representing Valley Crossing Pipeline, LLC. as they prepare to build a pipeline across Cameron County and underneath South Bay, Lucio has announced he is "withdrawing" from having the company as his client.
SaveRGVfromLNG activists and other environmental groups had planned a protest at his office on Monday alleging that he had sold out his constituents for the money paid him to condemn properties and advance the goals of the company to lay a natural gas pipeline across eco-sensitive South Bay on the Laguna Madre.
The South Bay is considered to be one of the most critical hypersaline habitats and spawning grounds for numerous aquatic species such as shrimp, redfish, among other species. Even after Adm. Asst. Joseph O'Bell had protested that Lucio was not selling out his constituents, activists like Citizens Against Voter Abuse (CAVA) Mary Helen Flores said that his representation for pay to further the company's aims ran counter to his role as state representative.
"Just who is he representing?," she asked. "Is he representing us, his constituents, or the company that is paying money? We want him to repudiate Valley Crossing and protect our South Bay and to tell us how much he has gotten paid by that company."
Flores' sentiments were echoed by John Young and Barbara Hill, of SaveRGVfromLNG, who said that a spokesman for the representative had said Lucio's relationship with the company prevented him from making public comments on the pipeline issue.
"His employment by this company prevents him from discussing this explosively important issue with his constituents," they wrote on their website. "It is a conflict of interest. We demand that our elected state representative do his job and represent THE PEOPLE - not private interests."
Following the announcement by Flores and the SaveRGVfromLNG group, Lucio moved quickly to distance himself from both LNG and Valley Crossing.
"I don't represent LNG. There was a pipeline company completely unaffiliated with LNG that is just moving natural gas to Mexico,” Lucio said in an interview. “We have withdrawn as counsel, we heard some concerns from environmentalists,” he told News Center 23’s Marlane Rodriguez in an interview.
“We've always worked closely with environmental groups, we heard their concerns,” he said adding “my involvement was easement acquisition on four parcels of land that’s all I've ever been involved in.”
Even then, many local residents are not happy that Lucio is representing the company in condemnation proceedings in the courts to force people to sell their land based on the state's eminent domain laws.
In one recent case, Lucio tried to have a La Feria couple accept a $200 settlement to allow the pipeline to traverse their land, only to end up in court.
"The Stapleton Law Firm went to court and got them $60,000 from a jury," said an attorney. "The other lawyer for Valley Crossing kept looking at Eddie and at one point pushed him out of the way. Now he wants to spin it as if he if for the environment. He isn't for the little guy. Es puro pedo."
Lucio, as did his father Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. when the $21 million to the Brownsville Navigation District's Bridge to Nowhere disappeared into exchange houses into Mexico, tried to put a spin on the matter.
He said if it’s not something the environmental community is going to support or if there’s going to be any type of controversy around it, “I'll go ahead and withdraw so I filed my motion to withdraw as counsel. Because I do want to continue to have a great relationship with the Sierra Club and other groups that I've worked with over the past."
15 comments:
Lucio III is Saving jobs! That's the story, juanito!!!!
Our environment is shit already. We need jobs. I need a job. Bring it on, Cacheton!
Eddie is a cheap who're, just like his father. Both are in public service for themselves in the name of doing good for us. And, we are so stupid to keep them in office for life. We deserve when we get FUCKED.
The rotten fruit doesn't fall far from rotten tree. you think the Lucios plan to live here and smell the stink they wrought? We have a screwed up democratic party that serves the same tired politicians year in year out. Where's the new blood?
He is the new blood.. jijiji
Jobs lol. The pipeline company itself admitted the jobs are just temporary. 5 years at most.
Hope you like the look of biohazard hazmat suits, the only sure jobs after that are the toxic waste cleanup when they leak.
There will also be many jobs providing abortions for babies with birth defects, after parents are exposed to the pipeline water who don't want a disabled, mutant kid in the family.
Too little too late Lucio what a sellout POS. I hope Stapleton runs against him.
The 06-26-2017 Monday morning "We Demand Responsible Representation" rally is still on for 8:30 to 10:30 am at Lucio's law office on FM 803 in Brownsville. See the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/194005301126502/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%223%22%2C%22ref_newsfeed_story_type%22%3A%22regular%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D.
The Valley Crossing Pipeline is still under construction and headed our way. We need to make sure the eminent domain laws are reformed. We still need to reform the Texas Railroad Commission and Texas Commission For Environmental Quality make sure they do a better job protecting our health, safety, and quality of life. We still need for our elected representatives to keep us informed about such projects coming our way. We still need town hall meetings to provide us with the information we need (such as Blast Zones) and to give us some real say about what we want and don't want, will and won't allow, here where we live, breathe, and raise our families.
He is saving his job only, the shit Lucios have a zero record for this area. Filling their pocket with dirty money.
Powerful families are beneficial for Brownsville and as long as they're democrats in south Texas power circles we'll get jobs, be able to buy and sell our homes, get business done and live happily. look how congressman ortiz got corpus all the perks. wish vela could squeeze the federal budget like ortiz did. big success for us is just around the corner. we're goinna explode with economic success. Local constituents will benefit and our children can stay home and have some decent paying gigs. Please try and embrace these powerful circles and quit trying to bring our house of cards down.
Sciaenops ocellatus more commonly known as Redfish, Red Drum or Channel Drum do not Spawn in South Bay, or any other bays. Sciaenops ocellatus spawn in the cold surf in late winter or early spring.
They hired a guy named Villarreal as a staffer. Guy says his dad is corrupt and that's how he also got the job. Go figure.
The pipelines are coming, LNG is coming, JOBS are coming! The anti LNG pussy asses lost.
As a former member of this group, You should know that There is currently a lot of in fighting going on among the save the rgv from LNG people. Power struggle for and a lack of leadership from The current people in charge. I stopped supporting them because they can't get anything done. Fundraising has been disastrous. We would get together and just talked in circles and accomplish nothing. The lack of support from the community at large is disheartening. I am still anti LNG but really have nothing good to say about them. A couple of us younger more active people are thinking of starting our own anti LNG group. Stay tuned.
Actually, its Chief of Staff, Ruben O'Bell.
Thank you very much.
Staple-TON! Staple-TON! Staple TON!!!
Run against this dumbass Lucio loser and his fatass sidekick, Robin... cough cough... Ruben
Post a Comment