The Texas Railroad Commission’s actions and rulings have a huge impact on Texas landowners, whether they own city lots in Fort Worth, huge ranches in south Texas, or somewhere in between. Much of the Texas landscape holds unwelcome reminders from decades of drilling and production activity in the form of abandoned wells still listed as “shut in,” ancient and deteriorated surface equipment, and old reserve and waste pits. As welcome as the recent legislation is which sets the stage for the cleanup of some of the abandoned surface equipment, much more needs to be done. Intense drilling pressure in certain parts of the state, especially in urban areas, gives rise to a whole host of issues that require special attention from the commission.
As Railroad Commissioner, I will work with state legislators to craft legislation to further the cause of helping landowners clean up the aged remnants of past activity. I will work to develop methods to identify and plug wells no longer capable of production. The job also requires constant communication with those landowners affected by intense drilling activity and the research, creation and application of rules and regulations that will help the landowners while maintaining a strong and vibrant energy industry.
