The latest Texas Railroad Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
A day before a major legislative hearing about the future of the Railroad Commission, interpersonal tensions between the three commissioners boiled over at an open meeting. The commissioners also voted to approve new rules to make recycling oilfield wastewater easier. Full Story
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The three Texas Railroad Commissioners get their campaign coffers replenished by the industry they regulate, and lawmakers carrying the RRC Sunset legislation seem determined to make a change. The commissioners are equally determined to hold firm. Full Story
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A decision by the Texas Railroad Commission has paved the way for an open-pit coal mine to begin operating on the Texas-Mexico border. Opponents of the plan are weighing their options, which include making a request for another hearing. Full Story
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With the debate over gun rights still raging in Texas and across the nation, the head of one Texas agency, the Railroad Commission, is pushing to provide training for employees so they can carry concealed handguns on the job. Full Story
The Texas Railroad Commission regulates one of the most advanced industries in the world — oil and gas drilling. Yet the commission’s software systems, many of its rules and even its name are from another era. But change is coming. Full Story
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Lawmakers took a close look at the state's Railroad Commission during a hearing this week, focusing many of their questions on proposals to limit gas and oil companies from giving political donations to commissioners. Full Story
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A veritable flurry of rule-making is under way at the Texas Railroad Commission, involving everything from how oil and gas wells are drilled to the recycling of fracking water. Full Story
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Full video of my 12/13 TribLive conversation with Barry Smitherman, the chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman talked about the economic impact of the state's various shale plays, as well as concerns about the negative effects on roads, water and air quality. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman explained his opposition to Sunset Advisory Commission recommendations intended to address perceived conflicts of interest. Full Story
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This month, the state's Sunset Advisory Commission released a series of recommendations on how the Railroad Commission — which governs the oil and gas industry, not railroads — could better serve the state. Among the recommendations: a name change. Full Story
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The four Republican Railroad Commission candidates sound remarkably similar on the big-ticket topics. But that doesn't mean they will vote the same way on everything once they get into office. Full Story
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The two crowded primary races for the Texas Railroad Commission could be headed for runoffs, as candidates try to win attention from voters who haven't tuned in to those contests. Full Story
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With oil production on the rise in Texas, drilling companies are increasingly burning off the natural gas that surfaces with the oil, because they can't get pipelines in place fast enough to transport it. Full Story
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Aguilar on the House District 77 primary, Batheja on the HD-101 and SD-9 primaries, Galbraith on the GOP candidates for two Railroad Commission slots, Grissom on the latest in the Kerry Max Cook case, Hamilton on Texas A&M's new accountability website, Murphy and M. Smith on how much superintendents make, Ramsey interviews a would-be Democratic Party chair, Root on that nice Ted Nugent, M. Smith on the resignation of the state's education commissioner and Tan on the continuing court fight over Planned Parenthood: The best of our best content from April 30 to May 4, 2012. Full Story
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"Isn't it about time we elected political leaders that have enough sense not to pee on an electric fence?" asks Roland Sledge, a Houston lawyer vying for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, in a funny new online ad. Full Story
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At the Trib's April 13 energy symposium at the University of Houston, Railroad Comission Chairman Barry Smitherman sketched out his vision of an energy plan for the state. Full Story
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One overriding theme unifies the multiple Republican candidates for two Texas Railroad Commission slots: The Environmental Protection Agency has overreached and must be scaled back. Full Story
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Texas is one of the nation's only producers of uranium, and mining companies are gearing up for expansion. That's causing concern among environmental groups, some of which have been battling uranium mining for decades. Full Story
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Former Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Buddy Garcia will fill a seat on the Railroad Commission that was vacated by Elizabeth Ames Jones, who is now a candidate for state Senate. Full Story
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