Hector Uribe and Jeff Weems talk oil

Democratic Land Commissioner candidate Hector Uribe blasted Republican leaders for being "apologistes for foreign oil corporations" whose careless will pollute the Gulf of Mexico for decades.

He mocked Rick Perry's suggestion that such deepwater blow outs and other disasters can happen in oil drilling, just as an act of God.

The British Petroleum catastrophe is not just a spill, he said. "It is liquid death," that is killing the environment, jobs and a way of life, Uribe said.

He said he would be a Land Commissioner, unlike incumbent Jerry Patterson, who would protect the Texas coast. "They had their chance and they have blown it," Uribe said.

Railroad Commission candidate Jeff Weems spoke more concilliatorily towards oil and gas production, noting that it is one of the largest suppliers of jobs and tax revenues for the state.

But he said careful oversight is needed, not just to protect the coastline, but to protect water resources from drilling contamination. "Oil and gas effects more water than any other activity," Weems said.

Originally posted on the Trail Blazers Blog and written by Christy Hoppe.