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TO:? Friends of Tony Garza=20
FROM:? Jennifer Waisath, Political Director=20 DATE:? October 2, 2000=20 RE:? Political & State Briefing=20 GARZA TAKES ON TWO KEY CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS=20 Hard to believe Election Day is just 36 days away.? Tony remains active in= =20 Governor Bush=01,s campaign for the White House (see =01&On the Road Again= =018=20 section) and has been named a Co-Chair for the Bush-Cheney National Latino= =20 Coalition.=20 The Bush-Cheney Latino Coalition =01) which is chaired by Grammy award-winn= ing=20 musician Emilio Estefan =01) is a grassroots effort aimed at increasing Lat= ino=20 support for the Bush-Cheney ticket across the U.S.=20 Tony joins an elite group of thirteen high profile Hispanics serving as=20 co-chairs for this diverse coalition of business, education, entertainment= =20 and political leaders, including Grammy winner Jon Secada, noted and=20 respected educator (the inspiration for the movie, Stand and Deliver) Jaime= =20 Escalante, and Notre Dame Assistant Provost Dr. Gilberto Cardenas.=20 Back home in Texas, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is campaigning for=20 re-election to her Senate seat.? The Senator recently asked Tony to serve a= s=20 her a Co-Chairman for her campaign.? Tony joins fellow Texas Railroad=20 Commissioner Michael L. Williams in support of her re-election efforts. The= =20 campaign is chaired by Pat Oxford and co-honorary chairman former Dallas=20 Cowboy,Roger Staubach and fomer Ambassador Anne Armstrong.=20 ?=20 ON THE ROAD AGAIN=01(=20 GEORGE W. BUSH COUNTRY: With the presidential election campaign nearing the= =20 homestretch, Tony has been called upon to campaign with and on behalf of th= e=20 Governor in several key, battleground states.? Tony will also make stops in= =20 New Mexico, Arizona, and California for the Bush campaign.=20 Since the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia (where you=01,ll r= ecall=20 Tony served as an Assistant Secretary), he=01,s traveled to Dallas for Gove= rnor=20 Bush=01,s meeting with incoming Mexican President Vicente Fox and has made= =20 multiple campaign stops in Ohio and Michigan.=20 In Ohio, Tony made a stop in Cleveland to visit with journalists about=20 Governor Bush=01,s positive record of inclusion in Texas and his outreach t= o the=20 Hispanic community on the national level. In Columbus, Tony unveiled the Oh= io=20 Hispanics for Bush coalition members and spoke at the Ohio Hispanic Chamber= =20 of Commerce Dinner and Awards Ceremony.=20 From Ohio, Tony traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he met with Michig= an=20 Hispanics for Bush and offered thanks to the group for their hard work on= =20 behalf of Governor George W. Bush.? He then traveled to the Grand Rapids=20 Hispanic Fest where he made opening remarks at the popular area festival.= =20 WORKING FOR V2K: Tony has also campaigned hard for candidates back home.? H= e=01, s an active participant in the Republican Party of Texas=01, Victory 2000= =20 efforts.=20 In addition to receptions in Amarillo, Lubbock, Fort Worth, El Paso, Wichit= a=20 Falls and Mineral Wells, Tony made appearances with State Senate candidate= =20 Todd Staples (SD-3) and State Representative candidates Ben Bius (HD-18) an= d=20 Sid Miller (HD-59).? He=01,ll be traveling across the state through electio= n day=20 on behalf of the Republican ticket.=20 ?=20 GARZA BLASTS CLINTON/GORE DECISION TO RELEASE OIL FROM THE NATION=01,S SPR= =20 In response to the Clinton/Gore Administration=01,s decision last week to= =20 release 30M barrels from the United State=01,s Strategic Petroleum Reserve,= =20 Garza called their move =01&yet another insult to the American people.=018= =20 Coverage of Tony=01,s remarks appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, th= e=20 Texas State Radio Network (broadcasting to AM News stations across the=20 state), KTRH-AM (Houston=01,s 740AM Newstalk station) and the local NBC=20 affiliate.=20 Garza is on record as saying, =01&For U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson= to=20 suggest that the move by the Clinton Administration is anything but politic= al=20 is yet another insult aimed at the American people.? Once again, the=20 Clinton-Gore Administration has shown their willingness to put their own=20 short-term political interests above our country=01,s best interests.? The= =20 Administration=01,s decision to release some 30 million barrels from our na= tion=01, s SPR is nothing more than election year politicking at its worst=01(. The = SPR=20 =01(is not something to be toyed with for political gain.? The move by Pres= ident=20 Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore will do little to moderate prices a= nd=20 only highlights the Administration=01,s nearly eight years of negligence in= =20 establishing a viable, substantive domestic energy policy=01(.=018=20 ?=20 STATE SIDE=20 VISION & LEADERSHIP FOR THE 77TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION: Recalling Governor Bu= sh=01, s emphasis on limited government, Tony pressed for a highly focused=20 legislative agenda for the Railroad Commission.? Garza told his fellow=20 commissioners that =01) as Governor Bush is fond of saying =01) =01&you can= have so=20 many priorities that you really don=01,t have any priorities=018 and urged = the=20 Commission to concentrate resources and energy primarily in two critical=20 areas:=20 In His Own Words=01(.On Sunset Review: =01&From my perspective, there=01,s = no doubt=20 our agency is just as relevant today as we were in 1891, but our job is to= =20 prove that assertion to the Sunset Commission and the public, too.? To that= =20 end, our emphasis needs to be on demonstrating not only what we=01,ve=20 accomplished over the years but also but also that we have a vision for whe= re=20 this agency is headed in the future. =01&? Tony serves as the agency=01,s p= oint=20 person for the Railroad Commission=01,s Sunset Review.=20 On Budget: Simply put, budget is policy.? There=01,s no clear statement of = what=20 we consider important than our budget.? I want to focus on issues of=20 salaries, equipment upgrades and replacements, as well as increased=20 technology =01) each will help us meet our core mission responsibilities.= =018?? The=20 Commission passed their Fiscal Year 2001 budget on August 8th.=20 Garza=01,s Focus on =01&Three E=01,s=018 Continues=01(.Since taking office,= Tony has focused=20 on what he likes to call =01&the Three E=01,s=018 =01) energy, environment = and=20 efficiency.? He continues to press for policy and programs that keep those= =20 three areas in mind.=20 Energy: Tony believes incentives to production should remain a priority,=20 including incentives for new drilling through severance tax credits and=20 exemptions in certain cases.=20 On the natural gas front, rising prices and tightening supplies were the=20 focus of Tony=01,s recent letter to state and federal leaders.? With natura= l gas=20 price hitting an all-time high, it=01,s estimated that the average Texas=20 household could see a 55 percent increase in their home heating bills this= =20 winter.? To minimize the impact of such an increase, Tony offered some=20 practical advice for Texans.? Read about it at=20 http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/commissioners/garza/garza.html.=20 Environment: Tony continues to lead the charge for stronger protection of o= ur=20 state=01,s natural resources =01) especially water.? In the 77th Legislativ= e=20 Session, Tony wants to build upon the Commission=01,s commitment to the=20 preservation of Texas=01, natural resources by refining methods to increase= =20 funding for the state=01,s Oil Field Clean-up Fund.=20 Tony also wants to ensure that Texas is safe for us and for future=20 generations.? You may have seen reports of the pipeline explosion in Abilen= e=20 or coverage of the proposed Longhorn Pipeline in Central Texas.? Both are= =20 examples of the public and media becoming more concerned with pipeline=20 safety.? Tony believes that we can do more with the state=01,s One Call (= =01&Call=20 Before You Dig=018) System and wants to see enforcement and fines brought u= p to=20 National Best Practices standards.=20 Efficiency: This year, the Commission rolled out the first stage of its=20 Electronic Compliance and Approval Program =01) allowing Texas oil and gas= =20 producers to begin filing some permits online and moving the agency one ste= p=20 closer to being a paperless environment.=20 Additionally, the Railroad Commission showed off its new web page=20 (http://www.rrc.state.tx.us) which touts a much more user-friendly format a= nd=20 will allow the Commission to put more information online for its customers= =20 and the people of Texas.=20 Finally, Tony found support from his fellow Commissioners for a Railroad=20 Commission Web Site Kids=01, Page, where Texas schoolchildren can learn mor= e=20 about the history and importance of the oil and gas industry to Texas, as= =20 well as ways we can work together to improve our environment.? The kids=01,= page=20 curriculum and site =01) which Tony presented at the September 25th Commiss= ion=20 meeting =01) is in development as we speak with a target launch date of Spr= ing=20 2001.=20 These projects, coupled with the Railroad Commission=01,s request to the=20 Legislature for technology and equipment upgrades, mean that the Railroad= =20 Commission will move even closer to being a truly e-government agency with= =20 greater online accessibility and offerings.=20 HUNGRY FOR NEWS=20 Get the latest news and information from Texas Railroad Commissioner Tony= =20 Garza=01,s State Web Site:=20 http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/commissioners/garza/garza.html=20 Tony also serves on Lieutenant Governor Rick Perry=01,s Special Commission = on=20 21st Century Colleges and Universities.? Find out more about how they are= =20 shaping the future of public higher education in the Lone Star State by=20 visiting: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/LtGov/Policy/21stCommit.htm=20 In December, Tony will take on the second highest leadership position withi= n=20 the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), a 37-state=20 organization representing the governors of oil and gas producing states.?= =20 Tony will become Vice Chairman of the IOGCC during the December Annual=20 Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.? For more on the IOGCC, go to:=20 http://www.iogcc.state.ok.us.=20 ?=20 GET CONNECTED.? BE A PART OF GARZA=01,S E-TEAM.=20 We=01,re always looking to reach out to more Texans and keep voters aware a= nd=20 informed about Tony Garza and his vision and leadership for the Lone Star= =20 State.=20 We=01,re building our Garza E-Team, and we need your help.? The E-Team is= =20 comprised of folks like you that want to hear the latest news from Tony=01,= s=20 office via email.? It=01,s a quick and easy way for us to stay in touch=01(= . Gets=20 the information and news from our office to yours in no time!=20 Help us spread the word, forward this message to your family, friends,=20 co-workers and other contacts.? Better yet! Send us a list of names and=20 emails that we should add to our list.=20 CONTACT US.=20 We=01,ve worked hard to build our email address book of donors, supporters = and=20 other interested parties.? If at anytime, you would like to remove yourself= =20 from our list, simply send an email to tgarza@onr.com.=20 Vision and Leadership for Texas:? Supporters interested in helping to build= a=20 strong officeholder account for Tony Garza may send contributions to =01&Fr= iends=20 of Tony Garza,=018 P.O. Box 685284, Austin, Texas 78768.? Please remember:= =20 corporate checks are not accepted, and donations are not tax deductible.=20 All political correspondence and scheduling requests should be sent to Tony= =20 Garza in care of his political committee, =01&Friends of Tony Garza=018 (FO= TG).?=20 You can reach FOTG by phone (512) 474-2969, by fax (512/474-0825), by email= =20 (tgarza@onr.com) and in writing (P.O. Box 685284, Austin, Texas 78768).=20 ?=20 Not produced or distributed at State Expense.? Paid for by =01&Friends of T= ony=20 Garza,=018 P.O. Box 685284, Austin, Texas 78768. Phone: 512/474-2969, Fax:= =20 512/474-0825.=20 ?=20 ?
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