Lawmakers Push Back on Railroad Commission Overhaul Proposals

[TexasTowelie]

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.

Staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission, the legislative body that periodically reviews state agencies, has called for big changes at the 125-year-old agency, including beefing up its oversight of drilling, pipeline safety and abandoned wells; improving record keeping; changing its name to the Texas Energy Resources Commission; and no longer regulating natural gas utilities.

But as a hearing of lawmakers on the Sunset commission stretched into evening, it appeared unlikely that all of those recommendations would make it into legislation.

One legislator said he believed the entire review was was unnecessary, and the criticism mean-spirited.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/22/texas-lawmakers-push-back-railroad-commission/

[misterhighwasted]

1. This is the position Jeb Bush's son was just elected to wasn't it?

Figures.

[TexasTowelie]

2. No.

George P. Bush was elected as commissioner of the General Land Office, not the Texas Railroad Commission (the regulatory agency over the oil & gas industry).

[misterhighwasted]

3. Ah yes. Thank you for clarifying.

Informatative post. This State is so damned corrupt it will take an act of god to ever operate on a fair playing field.

[TexasTowelie]

4. You're welcome.

The only reason I'm able to keep all of the agencies straight is that I used to work for the state.