Daily Dispatch 9/17/24: Houston Pipeline Fire Shows Need For Petrochemical Protections, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A minor car crash caused that massive petrochemical pipeline fire in the eastern Houston suburbs yesterday: https://apnews.com/article/pipeline-fire-texas-659141b9f88ed2b324c36fce2735746f ...The pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer, led by oil billionaire Kelcy Warren: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pipeline-fire-erupts-la-porte-texas-prompting-evacuations-2024-09-16/ ...Houston area Representative Gene Wu says we might know what chemicals are being burned into East Houston's air, had Republicans not voted against that rule: https://x.com/GeneforTexas/status/1835858167130984651 ...Dramatic aerial footage of the flames from the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cdxrr7dz412o ...We talked to petrochemical engineer Chuck Crews, Democratic opponent to Republican Texas House incumbent Briscoe Cain of Deer Park, about all of this yesterday: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-news-minipod-la-porte-texas-pipeline-explosion/id1552998795?i=1000669739509 Ken Paxton's legal maneuvers to stop Bexar County officials from sending out unsolicited voter registration applications have been shut down by a San Antonio judge: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/politics/ken-paxton-bexar-county-texas-voter-registration/index.html Liz Cheney was campaigning against Ted Cruz in Dallas with U.S. Rep. Colin Allred yesterday: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/09/16/liz-cheney-is-not-a-fan-of-ted-cruz-the-junior-senator-from-texas/ ...Cruz does have his backers, though - including one of the country's most notorious anti-abortion crusaders: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/09/ted-cruz-touted-the-endorsement-troy-newman-executing-abortion-providers/ TODAY is National Voter Registration Day, and our friends at MOVE Texas are activated across the state: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-170-gearing-up-for-national-voter-registration/id1552998795?i=1000669634900⁠ See Progress Texas' analysis of Project 2025, and what it will mean for Texas should it be enacted: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/project-2025-vs-progress-2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ...And a complete guide to Project 2025 from Media Matters: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The deadline to register for the November election is October 7. Are you registered? Are you sure? ALL Texas voters should confirm their registration, right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://govotetexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ...Please pitch in to help fund our recent expansion of that important voting resource with Hindi, Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese translation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/coming-soon-govotetexasorg-adds-commonly-spoken-languages-increase-ballot-access⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And, our September membership drive is underway! We want to add 50 new members to the Progress Texas family in the form of regular monthly supporters at the $10, $25 or $50 level - if you join the team before the end of September, we'll hook you up with an exclusive invitation to our Holiday Party this December! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.