Subsequent to our two posts and updates regarding Rep. Jesse White’s attack on DEP, on behalf of a junkyard-owning plaintiff, for what is standard operating procedure in most states, some interesting things have come to light that bring the State Representative from Pennsylvania’s 46th Legislative District into super sharp focus.

Rep. Jesse White obviously has a quarrel with the natural gas industry, one so important to him he was willing to launch an attack on it and DEP on behalf of a junkyard owner who lives in Amwell Township, Washington County, which lies outside the 46th Legislative District that White represents.  He also managed to secure, release and distort a legal document that not even been yet shared with all the parties to the lawsuit involved.  That lawsuit is against Range Resources and this morning we all learned the source of Jesse’s angst, which appears to have little to do with the junkyard owner or DEP.  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review lays it all out in this story, but here are the relevant excerpts:

“Just found out I had a few tickets to the game and am looking at our travel arrangements,” White wrote on Jan. 28, 2011, to Range Chief Operating Officer Ray Walker, in emails Range gave the Tribune-Review. “If the Range plane was heading down, any chance we could stowaway in the cargo hold?”

When he emailed Walker about the Super Bowl, White said he wondered whether Range might use it against him.

“This would be a good way to see if these guys can be trusted,” White said he thought as he sent it. “They knew and I knew it wasn’t real. It was obviously a joking answer to whether I’d be attending their event or not.”

“That’s preposterous,” said Pitzarella. “There’s no reference to that (barbecue) in (White’s) email. … He ‘trusted’ us enough to strong-arm campaign contributions and fundraisers for him for nearly five years. He told us he would attend the event, but canceled due to the ice storm. His behavior of saying anything to anyone to only suit himself is at the core of why we could no longer associate ourselves with him.”

The company did not fly any lawmakers to the game or pay for their tickets, Pitzarella said.

So, it appears Rep. White wanted a ride to the Superbowl and when he didn’t get it, turned on Range Resources.  The Steelers lost that game, so perhaps that put Jesse in a sore loser mood at the outset.  Hey, there’s no one who doesn’t love the Steelers, but nobody likes a sore loser, especially one who says this:

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I guess “I stand up for what’s right” means sticking your thumb out to hitch a ride to the Superbowl from folks you help regulate through legislation.  Or, was it all a “joke”?  Well, it’s not hard to imagine Jesse as the Joker, but reality intrudes when you read the full story in the Tribune-Review.