AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Railroad Commission is the state’s oldest regulatory agency. The commission regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, not the railroads. This is a three-member body, with one seat up for grabs in the upcoming election.
Three candidates are seeking to unseat Texas Railroad Commissioner Christy Craddick: Democratic candidate Katherine Calvert, Libertarian candidate Hawk Dunlap, and Green Party candidate Eddie Espinoza.
Energy experts say the public often overlooks the commission’s big role in the state.
During the February 2021 winter storm, natural gas prices rose as consumers used more, resulting in additional charges.
“The Railroad Commission took about 90 seconds to approve more than $3 billion in securitizations, which is an overage fee that each of us will be paying over the next 20 to 30 years.” University of Houston said Ed Haas, an energy researcher at.
Mr. Craddick, the incumbent Republican chairman, believes that less federal regulation will help the industry prosper.
“Industry often moves faster than regulators,” she says.
The commission has faced criticism during Mr. Craddick’s tenure over its handling of wastewater, a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing.
Pipes are supposed to be blocked once oil is released from a well, but pipes often explode in West Texas due to underground water pressure or toxic water leaks.
“We are working with the Legislature, TCEQ, and industry to study what the standards should be and how we can get not just industry but the entire state to use some of this water for beneficial reuse. “An example of this is affecting crops,” Craddick said.
Mr. Craddick’s opponents believe the Railroad Commission is not doing enough to prevent the explosion.
“The Railroad Commission is responsible for overseeing, discouraging, and discouraging industry abandonment activities,” Calvert said.
Calvert is an industry regulator who wants the commission to do more to protect Texans and the state’s natural resources.
“They allow oil and gas companies to basically do whatever they want, and the federal government is the only one that makes and enforces the rules for oil and gas companies,” Calvert said. .
The Railroad Commission race is one of the few statewide races involving candidates from a minority party.
Dunlop did not respond to requests for an interview. Espinoza wants to prevent the same environmental problems that fracking caused in West Texas from happening in other parts of Texas.
“The Permian Basin used to grow cantaloupe, tomatoes and cotton. There is no life there now,” he said.
If Mr. Craddick loses re-election, the new commissioner would become a minority on the committee, joining two Republicans who have not yet been re-elected.
“I don’t take a political position, but changing the way the Railroad Commission operates is going to require different leadership than we have now,” Haas said.
Early voting in Texas begins October 21st.