crowe, d
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/derrick-crowe-lamar-smith-seat-2398417851.html">http://www.ecowatch.com/derrick-crowe-lamar-smith-seat-2398417851.html</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="headline-container" style="margin-top: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h1 class="headline h1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: 500; position: relative; line-height: 22px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Can This 36-Year-Old Unseat the Biggest Climate Denier in Congress?</font></h1></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="js-scroll-trigger" data-target="body" data-triggers="render-rebelbar" data-toggle-class="with-floating-shares" data-loaded="true" style="margin-top: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /></span></font><div id="utm_campaign" style="margin-top: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="article-body body js-expandable sm-mb-2 md-mb-4 js-update-url selectionShareable" data-url="http://www.ecowatch.com/derrick-crowe-lamar-smith-seat-2398417851.html" data-headline="Can This 36-Year-Old Unseat the Biggest Climate Denier in Congress?" data-elid="2398417851" style="margin-top: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="article-description" style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A climate activist and organizer is hoping to put "the worst <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">climate denier</a> in Congress" out of his job.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.electcrowe.com/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Derrick Crowe</a>, a 36-year-old former staffer for senior Democrats in Congress, <a href="https://medium.com/@derrickcrowe/ive-had-it-i-m-running-for-congress-29f285c1cac6" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">announced</a> his bid for the 21st Congressional District of Texas last month. He hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/lamar-smith" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Lamar Smith</a> (R-Texas), the notorious <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/lamar-smith-climate-science-2336435692.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">climate-denying chairman</a> of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Our message is simple," the Austin-based challenger <a href="https://medium.com/@electcrowe/derrick-crowe-announces-congressional-bid-in-21st-district-of-texas-21a1f18d5bb" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">said</a>. "We will replace a <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Trump</a>-backing, climate change denier with a progressive who fights for constituents against the corporate interests ruining our future."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith has served Texas's 21st congressional district, which includes most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, since 1987. In February, Smith held a hearing on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7krqZxXu94" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Making EPA Great Again</a> that featured a line-up of industry voices. Smith, who has a <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/author/rep-lamar-smith-r-tx/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">history of writing op-eds for Breitbart</a>, has accused NOAA of altering climate data "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eroding-trust-in-scientific-research/2015/11/17/d9491fc2-8a3e-11e5-bd91-d385b244482f_story.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">to get politically correct results</a>." The congressman <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/politics/lamar-smith-donald-trump-news/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">also thinks</a> you should get your news "directly" from President Trump over "the national liberal media."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="text-align: center;">Environmentalists have long expressed concerns about the Texas Republican's</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00001811" target="blank" style="text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">financial ties</a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">to the fossil fuels sector. Records show he has received more than $700,000 from the oil and industry since 1989.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Smith has held his seat for 30 years, and in that time he's benefitted from an outrageously gerrymandered map, corporate PAC money, and the patronage of groups like <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/exxon" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Exxon</a> and the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/koch-brothers" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Koch brothers</a>," Crowe said. "The people of this district are wise to the game now. Anti-Trump energy is evident everywhere you look. It's clearly time for a change."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Trump administration's indifference on climate change, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/epa-fires-scientists-2398143862.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">firing of scientists</a>, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-climate-change-website-2209059875.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">purging of data</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-executive-order-regulations-2282814216.html?page=2" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">continued efforts to slash</a> environmental regulations has inspired many scientists and science advocates to run for office. Other Democrats are considering a bid in the historically Republican district in 2018.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"When you have been in Congress for over 30 years and you have no formidable challenger, you have no reason to work hard," Joseph Kopser, another potential Democrat <a href="https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/193261/joseph-kopser-new-leadership-for-tx-21" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">considering a run</a>, told Smith's hometown paper, <a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/josh_brodesky/article/Could-Lamar-Smith-feel-the-heat-in-2018-11104463.php" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">The San Antonio News-Express</a>. "Just like any company in a private sector that would gain a monopoly, and they would then have no reason to innovate."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kopser, a West Point graduate with a degree in aerospace engineering, added that he is also concerned about climate change and is baffled by Smith's positions due to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/6-reasons-why-texas-leads-the-nation-in-wind-power-1906696525.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Texas' abundance of wind</a>, solar and natural gas.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an <a href="https://medium.com/@derrickcrowe/ive-had-it-i-m-running-for-congress-29f285c1cac6" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">editorial</a> last month, Crowe highlighted the perils of our warming climate and political inaction.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"I've felt increasing alarm at how the escalating warnings from climate scientists about how bad the indicators are for our planet have been met with escalating denialism from people like Trump and Lamar Smith, the congressman who currently holds this seat," Crowe wrote. "To cut right to the chase, if we don't have carbon emissions slashed to nearly zero by the time my son graduates high school, we will virtually guarantee that we'll see catastrophic climate changes in our lifetimes."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Crowe is not a scientist but the self-proclaimed science "nerd" and told the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/derrick-crow-lamar-smith_us_5900f0d8e4b0026db1ddabd6" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Huffington Post</a> he agrees with the vast majority of climate scientists who say that human activity is the primary cause of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">climate change</a>.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"If 97 percent of doctors told you that you were going to die without a surgery, you would have that surgery, no problem," Crowe said. "And you would be a very unwise person to say that those 97 percent of doctors are engaged in a conspiracy against you."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So what are the chances that the longtime incumbent could lose his seat? As <a href="http://tv.fusion.net/story/492014/this-science-nerd-thinks-he-can-unseat-congresss-most-detested-climate-change-denier/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Fusion</a> pointed out, the San Antonio News-Express withdrew its longstanding endorsement for Smith last year over what was described as an "abuse of his position as chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee."</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Specifically, it is his bullying on the issue of climate change that should concern all Americans," <a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/article/Lamar-Smith-s-bully-tactics-cross-the-line-9977311.php" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; word-wrap: break-word;">wrote the paper's editorial board</a>.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith went on to win the election but with only 57 percent of the vote, the first time it dropped below 60 percent.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith's loss of the newspaper's endorsement, his slip in votes as well as more Democrat-voters moving into the heavily gerrymandered district are all optimistic signs for Crowe.</font></p><p style="line-height: 21px; margin: 10px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Crowe told the Huffington Post, "there's a lot of indicators in this race to show that it's winnable and that [Smith] has finally gone too far in this anti-climate change science crusade."</font></p></div></div></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_4_1491634157656_6033" style="position: relative; height: auto; padding: 17px; outline: none; box-shadow: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; transition: box-shadow 0.2s ease-in-out; clear: none; letter-spacing: 0.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="sqs-block-content" style="outline: none; cursor: auto;"><p style="word-wrap: break-word; margin-top: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Derrick Crowe is a fighter for progressive values and a former small business owner with years of experience in the government and nonprofit sectors.</font></p><p style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Derrick is a former staffer for senior Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and has been up-close-and-personal with the legislative process since the beginning of his professional career. He’s worked for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, as well as the top Democrats on agriculture (U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Texas) and counterterrorism (U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.), and he knows what it takes to be an effective legislator and advocate for his congressional district.</font></p><p style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Derrick is the founder and former co-owner and operator of Mothership Books and Games, a small retail business in Austin focused on geek culture and gaming. His experience with Mothership gives him a hard-won insight into the challenges faced by business owners in Central Texas, and he understands the experience of interacting with government agencies and bureaucracies as a small business operator. He also knows how hard it is in this economy to get new businesses up, running, and making payroll every month.</font></p><p style="word-wrap: break-word; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the nonprofit sector, Derrick focused on bettering his community and supporting those in crisis, as well as improving government transparency and ethics. As communications director for a local nonprofit attacking the problems of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, Derrick advocated for services for families in crisis in Central Texas. His proudest moment was helping to lead a successful advocacy effort to win more city funds to process backlogged rape kits, provide justice to survivors of sexual assault, and get serial rapists off the street.</font></p></div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_4_1491634157656_6810" style="position: relative; height: auto; padding: 17px 17px 0px; outline: none; box-shadow: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; transition: box-shadow 0.2s ease-in-out; clear: none; letter-spacing: 0.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="sqs-block-content" style="outline: none; cursor: auto;"><p style="word-wrap: break-word; margin-top: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the Center for Public Policy Priorities, Crowe supported advocacy efforts on behalf of low- and moderate-income Texans at the State Capitol, working to support legislative agendas that benefit all Texans, not just those at the top. That work followed similar efforts at the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C.</font></p><p style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>At Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington</b>, Crowe boosted the work of a group known at the time for hard-hitting investigations and actions against Members of Congress and other elites who violated the public trust–targeting violators from both parties. And, when it became clear that new board leadership at CREW would endanger CREW’s bipartisan reputation, Crowe left rather than put party before principles.</font></p><p style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Most importantly, Derrick is a father to Henry and a husband to Laurie. His most important goal is to have a good answer for when his son asks him, “Dad, what did you do?” during these turbulent times in our country.</font></p><p style="word-wrap: break-word; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Derrick was born in Amarillo and grew up in Sunray, a small town in the Texas Panhandle. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The Crowes are members of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Austin.</font></p></div></div></div></div>