Arlington Texas Elections
Arlington City Council Candidate Survey on the Environment
CANDIDATES
District 1
Helen Moise
District 2
Raul Gonzalez
District 6 (at large)
Albert Parra
Joshua Taylor
Long Pham
Chris “Dobi” Dobson
District 7 (at large)
Cyndi Golden
Bowie Hogg
SURVEY QUESTIONS
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Preventing new gas wells near homes and schools
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Support holding public hearings on all new gas well permits
-
24-hour monitoring at gas well sites
-
Climate Action Plan
-
Transitioning to 100% clean energy
-
No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge
SURVEY RESPONSES
Will you commit to opposing any new gas wells within 600 feet of a protected use as defined in the city’s gas well ordinance, including preschools, schools, day cares, homes, and medical facilities?
Question 1
District 6
Parra
Taylor
Pham
Dobson
District 7
Golden
Hogg
District 1
Moise
District 2
Gonzalez
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
Question 2
District 6
Parra
Taylor
Pham
Dobson
District 7
Golden
Hogg
District 1
Moise
District 2
Gonzalez
Do you support holding public hearings on all new gas well permits and oppose using administrative approval to pass permits in order to ensure Arlington residents have a voice in this process?
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
Question 3
District 6
Parra
Taylor
Pham
Dobson
District 7
Golden
Hogg
District 1
Moise
District 2
Gonzalez
Do you support requiring gas wells in Arlington to do 24-hour air monitoring at the gas well site in order to understand the pollution impacts on surrounding homes, schools, and businesses?
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
Question 4
District 6
Parra
Taylor
Pham
Dobson
District 7
Golden
Hogg
District 1
Moise
District 2
Gonzalez
Will you commit to passing a climate action plan to mitigate and protect Arlington from the impacts of climate change, including reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
Question 5
District 6
Parra
Taylor
Pham
Dobson
District 7
Golden
Hogg
District 1
Moise
District 2
Gonzalez
Do you support fully transitioning away from fossil fuel energy usage, including methane gas, to 100% renewable energy by 2045. Will you pursue policies to support that transition in Arlington?
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
Question 6
District 6
Parra
Taylor
Pham
Dobson
District 7
Golden
Hogg
District 1
Moise
District 2
Gonzalez
Will you sign the No Fossil Money Pledge by committing to prioritizing the health of Arlington residents and pledging to not take contributions over $200 from oil, gas, and coal industry executives, lobbyists, and PACs?
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
No
Response
Additional Comments
QUESTION 1
Parra:
While I support property rights, anything that could potentially harm another citizen will need to be looked at and scrutinized careful as to avoid any further harm, especially our youngest citizens and most vulnerable.
Dobson:
I have supported a moratorium on gas well drilling since 2010, and have stated so each year.
QUESTION 2
Parra:
Citizen participation is vital to ensuring transparency and that the voices of Arlington are heard.
Dobson:
We should also force council people to list all donations from fracking interests.
Golden:
Yes, If the permit request is for special use permit and not currently in a drill zone. In this case a public hearing would need to be held.
QUESTION 3
Parra:
Having an understanding of how something impacts our environment and the citizens around it are crucial. I’d like to hear more before making a decision on a particular time frame as stated above. We would need to see if that time frame is able to give the proper time to gather the information requested
Dobson:
We should also use the city drones to surveil these sites with FLIR to observe for any leaks.
Golden:
I specifically would like to see air monitoring at sites close to schools, daycare centers, senior living communities, dense population areas. There is a big reluctance to do this on the part of the drilling companies. I think it would show good corporate citizenship and go a long way in easing the fears of concerned citizens. I would have to investigate the cost of doing this for every site, it might be cost prohibitive though. It seems there could be a common ground which all parties agreed upon placement of 24 hour monitoring.
QUESTION 4
Parra:
Climate change is something all citizens can rally around. As a country, we are making steps to transition to renewable resources, Arlington would be no exception. We have the opportunity to be innovative on how we address climate change
Dobson:
I feel like Arlington should create an energy production company or join a rural energy co-op to support the transition to renewable energy.
Golden:
I would support a climate action plan working together with citizens, stakeholders and city staff. Arlington has done some good things related to climate action, such as utilizing electric vehicles, promoting green space, looking at regional transportation. There are so many facets to this issue and many ways to approach it.
QUESTION 5
Parra:
As stated in previous question, we have an opportunity to be bold in how we address climate change.
Golden:
I will support moving away from fossil fuel but doubt that could be totally by 2045. I also support better ways to process and utilize fossil fuel along with combination of other sources of energy to supply the growing demand. Our demand for power as compared to the rest of the world is much higher. Why is that? We need to examine how we use energy sources for daily living.
No Fossil Fuel Pledge
Parra:
At this time, I am not accepting donations from these entities
Dobson:
$200. I will accept $0 from oil and gas interests.
Golden:
Yes to promoting health to Arlington citizens.Yes if your question relates to only oil ,gas and coal groups.