This Saturday! Mega Walk with Bill White Campaign

Join Team Miklos as we reach out to our neighbors the morning of Saturday, August 21. Lunch will be provided.

Texas State Rifle Association Endorses Robert Miklos

As part of the National Rifle Association, the TSRA is a grassroots organization that advocates on behalf of its thousands of members.

The citation follows three house explosions over a three-month period. News 8 has been investigating these and other explosions since 2006.

A just-released report documents a fatal house explosion in Irving last January. In it, the Texas Railroad Commission blasts Atmos for failing to maintain its equipment as required by law.

The findings in this report are among the main reasons Atmos Energy is about to embark on what may be the largest pipeline removal initiative in state history.

In the explosion early in the morning on January 31, natural gas leaked into an Irving residence ignited. The resulting explosion seriously injured Peggy Mantheiy, who survived.

Her husband Joe died a few days later.

Although Atmos Energy crews spent several days repairing natural gas leaks around the Mantheiy’s neighborhood, no official cause of the leak has been reported until now.

According to Texas Railroad Commission investigators, “there was a leak on a … compression coupling nut.”

It was a “grade one” leak — so powerful that it can be seen in video from the scene bubbling up through the foundation.

The leaking natural gas compression coupling was just a few feet away from the Mantheiy residence, under the ground, attached to the main gas line which runs east and west.

In the days following the explosion, Atmos crews identified 32 similar leaks all over the neighborhood.

That was enough for state regulators to request “replacement of the service lines and their couplings across the entire Irving distribution system.”

The findings in the latest report mirror an explosion report issued April 28. In it, Railroad Commission investigators recommended “replacement of all steel service lines in Mesquite” following the blast that leveled Kristi Samons; house in November.

In the days following her house explosion, workers discovered not only a leaking compression coupling behind her house, but 61 other leaks in the surrounding neighborhood.

Two weeks earlier, the Texas Railroad Commission released another report documenting an explosion in Lancaster last November. In that case, gas leaking from a pipe connection found its way from under the street into a residence. One person was severely burned when the house exploded.

Again, Atmos was cited for “violations of the minimum safety regulations.”

That’s three house explosions in three months in North Texas, and six house explosions since 2006 — all due to failures along an aging or inadequate Atmos natural gas delivery system.

Now — after nearly four years of News 8 investigative reports — Railroad Commissioners and their staff are calling for the removal of the old steel lines and their couplings across the state.

“Obviously when there is an explosion, all of us are concerned about it, and we ought to be, and the public is concerned about it,” said Commissioner Michael Williams.

Atmos officials say they have not seen the Irving report and cannot comment on it.

Atmos is already working to replace all of its steel lines and couplings in Texas. There are at least half a million to replace, and the work could take more than a decade.

But the latest report reinforces the cry from explosion survivors and their families that the failing couplings must come out of the ground.

But that’s exactly what Atmos Energy is doing. After ignoring a problem that resulted in the loss of life, they’re going to give themselves a $100 million pat on the back.

View the WFAA story on the issue at WFAA.com.

Recently, the Texas Railroad Commission put forth a plan allowing Atmos Energy to collect up to $100 million in profit for fixing their own mistake. The Dallas Morning News described this sort of profiteering as “unconscionable,” urging local governments to “be vigilant in monitoring the companies to make sure they don’t profit one penny from this proposed order.”

I agree. We’ve witnessed far too many examples of corporate greed and irresponsibility resulting in higher costs for families. This dramatically affects working Texans. We must hold these companies accountable so that consumers are protected, and that our priorities at home are the priorities in Austin.

I hope you’ll take the Pocketbook Priorities Survey at RobertMiklos.com today.

It’s one thing for all of us to share in the costs of these long overdue safety upgrades, but does Atmos really deserve to make an additional profit out of our pockets just for doing the minimum to save lives? No one pays us to put a safety inspection sticker on our car. This is the same old Wall Street double standard.

Please let me hear from you. Take our brief survey at RobertMiklos.com.

“I stand with legislative leaders from both parties who believe in protecting our families and our individual rights and freedoms. As a former chief prosecutor, I know how important it is to protect responsible, law abiding citizens’ right to bear arms,” Miklos said. As part of the National Rifle Association, the TSRA is a grassroots organization that advocates on behalf of its thousands of members.

The TSRA endorsement adds to Representative Miklos’ list of public safety endorsements, which include the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, and the Texas Municipal Police Association. Additionally, the North Texas Crime Commission named Representative Miklos “Legislator of the Year” for his work on law enforcement issues during the 81st Legislative Session.

“Why should Atmos or any other utility profit from replacing their own dilapidated and dangerous infrastructure?” Rep. Miklos said. “It’s one thing for all of us to share in the costs of these long overdue safety upgrades, but does Atmos really deserve to make an additional profit out of our pockets just for doing the minimum to save lives? No one pays us to put a safety inspection sticker on our car. This is the same old Wall Street double standard.”

Earlier today, the Dallas Morning News ran an editorial describing this sort of profiteering as “unconscionable,” and urging local governments to “be vigilant in monitoring the companies to make sure they don’t profit one penny from this proposed order.”

Representative Miklos agreed, adding that he was “glad that the Railroad Commission and Atmos finally decided to do something about these explosions. The burden is now on local governments. I will work with the cities of Balch Springs, Mesquite and Sunnyvale to keep their citizens from paying higher utility rates to fund another corporate bailout.

Representative Robert Miklos represents House District 101, which includes the City of Mesquite, where one family’s home was destroyed by an explosion due to a faulty compression coupling link in 2009. Representative Miklos has called on the Texas Railroad Commission in the past to replace faulty steel lines and compression coupling links.

Friday, July 2, 6PM – 9PM

Samuell Farm
Rain Date: July 9

Old Fashioned Fourth

Saturday, July 3, 1PM – 6PM

Balch Springs Recreation Center
Games, contests, food, fireworks and family fun!

Mesquite Rodeo and Fireworks Celebration

Saturday, July 3, 7:30 PM

Resistol Arena
Click here for ticket information.

Sadly, some candidates will let out of town political insiders tell you what you are going to care about this year. That’s not how I do things. I believe in listening to my neighbors. I believe in getting out in the community and having a face-to-face interaction with the voters. That’s why I knocked on as many doors as I could two years ago, and that’s why I’m doing it again this year. But I need your help.

Volunteer today to help me talk to our neighbors.

Together, we’re going to knock on 20,000 doors before Labor Day. And we’re not going to tell people what to think. We’ll be asking what’s important to the voters of this district. This gives all of us an opportunity to have a conversation about the issues facing North Texas families, and how our state government can work better for us. To get to those 20,000 doors, I’ll need your help. Will you join me in talking to our neighbors?

Join our team today by going to RobertMiklos.com.

On June 10th, join me and my good friend Clay Jenkins for our second ‘Mega Walk’ of the summer. We’ll be going door-to-door, showing the special interests that they can’t buy our voice down in Austin.

Sign up now to join Team Miklos.

We are off to an excellent start, but I need your help to keep the campaign firing on all cylinders and to reach our voter contact goal for the summer.