Abandoned Texas oil wells seen as "ticking time bombs" of contamination
Texas is among several states grappling with a surge of abandoned drilling sites and dwindling funds to clean them up. Full Story
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![Ty Edwards, assistant general manager of the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District, points to brackish water flowing from one of several flowing abandoned wells— originally drilled for oil, but later used for irrigation — that no state agency plans to plug.]()
Credit: Rafael Aguilera for The Texas Tribune -
Sunset panel passes on Railroad Commission name change
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission on Thursday snubbed several recommendations meant to enhance the Railroad Commission of Texas' efficiency and environmental regulatory functions. Full Story
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Wayne Christian wins big in Texas Railroad Commission race
Former state Rep. Wayne Christian, a Republican, notched an easy victory Tuesday in the race for Texas railroad commissioner. Full Story
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Petroleum engineer lifts Libertarian hopes in Railroad Commission race
Mark Miller, a Libertarian running for Railroad Commission, is gaining an unusual amount of attention in a turbulent election cycle, leaving his party hopeful that it can make a splash in a statewide race. Full Story
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![Mark Miller, the Libertarian candidate for Texas railroad commissioner, stands outside of his home in Dripping Springs on Oct. 14, 2016.]()
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Toxic Aquifer Injections Trouble Railroad Commission Hopeful
Mark Miller, a Libertarian candidate for Texas railroad commissioner, is taking the commission to task for its failure to track toxic injections into underground zones that could hold drinking water. Full Story
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![Mark Miller, Libertarian candidate for Texas railroad commissioner.]()
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Texas Rep Wants to Limit His Industry's Liability For Busting Pipes
State Rep. Cecil Bell, a private contractor, says he has a plan to curb costly and sometimes dangerous strikes to underground pipelines during construction: make sure whoever is responsible pays to fix them. Full Story
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![Water pipeline crew members prepare for the laying of a section of the 60-mile-long chain running near Eden, Texas, in 2012.]()
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Texas Promised to Track Oilfield Waste in Aquifers. It Didn't.
Texas regulators have allowed energy companies in recent years to inject toxic materials into at least a “handful” of underground sources of drinking water, records show. Full Story
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![Each day, dozens of trucks hook up to the Gulf Coast-run fracking fluid disposal well site near Gonzales, Texas.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
"Why Are You So Angry at the Railroad Commission?" Texas Lawmaker Asks Reviewers
State lawmakers on Monday considered a host of recommendations to reshape and rename the Texas Railroad Commission, a powerful agency that oversees a host of oil and gas activities but not railroads. Full Story
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![Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter speaks during a Sunset Advisory Commission hearing in Austin on Aug. 22, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
EPA: North Texas Quakes Likely Linked to Oil and Gas Drilling
Federal regulators believe “there is a significant possibility” that a recent surge in North Texas earthquakes is linked to oil and gas activity, even if state regulators won’t say so. Full Story
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![Kaylen Holmesly, a 7th grade resident of Azle, Texas, testifies before the Texas Railroad Commission and voiced her concern about an increased number of earthquakes around Eagle Mountain Lake on January 21st, 2014.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Tiny Nordheim Sues State Over Drilling Waste Dump
A tiny South Texas town is continuing its fight against an oil and gas waste site half its size, even after regulators gave its developer the go-ahead. Residents of Nordheim, population 316, are suing the Texas Railroad Commission. Full Story
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![Paul Baumann's property, owned by his family for generations, is directly next to a proposed drilling waste dump in the small town of Nordheim. He, along with other concerned citizens, are protesting the dump as they fear it will pollute and ruin their way of life.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Ryan Sitton on Oil Prices, Regulation, Trump (Video)
Here's full video of our June 3 conversation in Austin with Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton. Full Story
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Christian Defeats Gates in Railroad Commission's Republican Runoff
Former state Rep. Wayne Christian won the Republican nomination late Tuesday in the race for Texas railroad commissioner, edging out Houston-area real estate mogul Gary Gates in a race that turned heated in its final stages. Full Story
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![Republicans Wayne Christian (left), and Gary Gates (right) are facing off in a May 24 primary runoff for Texas railroad commissioner.]()
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Christian Calls Gates "Slumlord" as Railroad Commission Runoff Nears
In an increasingly testy Republican runoff for railroad commissioner, state Rep. Wayne Christian is reaching into Gary Gates' legal history in an effort to paint his opponent as a “slumlord.” Full Story
![Republicans Wayne Christian (left), and Gary Gates (right) are facing off in a May 24 primary runoff for Texas railroad commissioner.]()
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Eagle Ford Town's Residents Disgusted by Waste Site's Approval
The Texas Railroad Commission approved a permit for a huge oil and gas waste facility outside of tiny Nordheim, ending one of the first organized protests against industry activity in South Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale. Full Story
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![A sign protesting a proposed drilling waste dump near the South Texas town of Nordheim is shown in 2014. The Texas Railroad Commission, charged with only evaluating groundwater effects, approved the waste site plan on May 3, 2016.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Sunset Review Suggests Changes, New Name at Railroad Commission
The Texas Railroad Commission should beef up its oversight of oil and gas drilling, pipeline safety and abandoned wells and change its name to reflect what it actually does, the latest sunset review recommends. Full Story
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Child Abuse Case Resurfaces in Railroad Commission Race
Sixteen years ago, CPS staffers accused Gary and Melissa Gates of abuse and removed their 13 children from their home. That case fizzled quickly, but the allegations and ensuing legal fight continue to provide fodder for Gates' political opponents. Full Story
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![A 2011 photo of Melissa and Gary Gates with seven of their 13 children on the Gates' 150-acre property in Richmond, Texas. From left to right: Melissa, Marcus, Gary, Cassie, Sarah, Cynthia, Andy, Raquel and Lexi.]()
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Study: Oil Activity May Be Cause of East Texas Quakes
University of Texas at Austin researchers call it “plausible” that underground injections of oil and gas waste triggered a series of temblors that rattled Timpson residents in 2012. Full Story
![Each day, dozens of trucks hook up to the Gulf Coast-run fracking fluid disposal well site near Gonzales, Texas.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Years After Landmark Ruling, Court To Rehear "Bizarre" Pipeline Case
Nearly five years after issuing a ruling cheered by property rights advocates, the Texas Supreme Court is set to rehear a case pitting two Texas brothers against a pipeline company that seized their land through eminent domain. Full Story
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![David Holland walks among the dozens of pipeline markers scattered across his Beaumont-area farm.]()
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As Oil Prices Fell, Texas Campaign Donations Followed
For decades, the petroleum industry has largely fueled Texas' influence in national Republican politics. But operatives are seeing early signs that the current oil bust has depressed the sector’s political giving. Full Story
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Railroad Commission Hopeful Unclear on Agency's Duties
Wayne Christian, a candidate for Texas railroad commissioner, frequently touts his energy expertise. But he did not know one of the agency’s key duties — regulating natural gas utilities — until a reporter told him. Full Story
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![Gary Gates and Wayne Christian]()
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