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UNBELIEVABLE: The railroad commission | History Defined

1.2 Million Oil Wells Are Buried Underneath Texas. Do You Live on Top of a Dangerous One?

Our state's homes are built above a hundred years of drilling by an industry that was never made to clean up after itself.

Texas Observer

Who Stands Between Texas and a Fascist Railroad Commission?

This man here—and a plurality of voters if he can find them

Texas Observer

Texas lawmaker wants oil regulators to explain why they ended public comment at meetings

The Texas Railroad Commission changed the rules over public comment earlier this month, raising eyebrows from transparency activists and the lawmaker who helped rewrite the state’s open meeting laws.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas Railroad Commission eliminates public comment period from its public meetings

The agency that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry voted to adopt the new policy before sharing it with the public. It added more “listening sessions” when the public can speak to agency staff.

The Texas Tribune

Pressure mounts to allow treated oilfield waste in Texas rivers and on rangeland

As oil and gas companies run out of places to dispose of their wastewater, Texas regulators are drafting permits to treat and reuse it outside the oilfields.

The Texas Tribune

Bo French says Texas shouldn’t recognize babies born to undocumented parents as American citizens

The GOP nominee for the state’s oil and gas commission said Texas should not recognize babies born to immigrant parents as citizens.

The Texas Tribune

An old well began gushing oilfield wastewater in a West Texas church parking lot, sparking a costly cleanup

By the time the Texas Railroad Commission shut down nearby oilfield injection wells to control the leak, 1.5 million gallons of toxic wastewater had spilled to the surface.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas Railroad Commission race pits oil field engineer against energy trader running on culture wars

Republican Bo French is keeping Islam, immigration and LGBTQ+ issues at the fore of his campaign for Texas’ oil regulatory agency. Democratic foe Jon Rosenthal is betting on his technical expertise.

The Texas Tribune

Dan Patrick picks sides in Texas attorney general, Railroad Commission GOP runoffs

The lieutenant governor endorsed state Sen. Mayes Middleton over U.S. Rep. Chip Roy for the Republican attorney general nod. And he backed Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright over challenger Bo French.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Railroad Commission GOP runoff: Who is running and what to know

The May 26 runoff pits incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright, who’s pitching himself as a “proven advocate for Texas energy,” against Bo French, who has cast himself as a “MAGA conservative.”

The Texas Tribune

Low-producing oil wells linger for years, causing headaches for Texas landowners

Jackie Chesnutt, who lives outside San Angelo, is tired of pollution from nearly inactive wells. Experts say Texas rules allow companies to defer plugging wells for far too long.

The Texas Tribune

Texas oil and gas regulator Wayne Christian peddles oil-backed crypto coin

Government watchdogs raised conflict-of-interests concerns, but Christian said his involvement in the venture is “separate” from his elected position on the Railroad Commission.

The Texas Tribune

Texas has taken over issuing permits to store carbon underground. Here’s what to know.

The move of authority to the Texas Railroad Commission from the federal government now makes it easier for energy companies to apply for permits to store carbon underground.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Railroad Commission primary: Who is running and what to know

The Railroad Commission regulates energy infrastructure across Texas. Here’s a look at who’s running in the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries and where they stand.

The Texas Tribune

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The Texas Tribune

A small oil company polluted Midland’s water reserve. The cleanup has dragged on for years.

Cleaning up oilfield pollution in arid West Texas is costly and complicated. The bankruptcy process allows companies to move on while the public pays the price.

Texas Observer

Pitted Against Waste

In bucolic areas near the Louisiana line, residents ask, "Why are Texas taxpayers liable for other states’ toxic waste?"

The Texas Tribune

Texas oil and gas regulators win new power to approve projects that shoot carbon underground

The EPA handed over power to the Railroad Commission after a two-year review. Critics say the commission has been too lax with the industry.

The Texas Tribune

Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French announces run for Texas Railroad Commission

French will face commission Chair Jim Wright in the Republican primary. The three-person panel is in charge of the agency that oversees Texas’ oil and gas industry.

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Texas Observer

Embattled Texas Oilfield Waste Company Fined After Worker’s Death

A 26-year-old employee at McBride Operating in Waskom was killed when a valve blew off a pump last year. Another worker had sued the company two years earlier after being injured on the job.

The Texas Tribune

What Texas lawmakers did after the state’s largest wildfire

A package of bills aims to better prepare the state to prevent and fight wildfires.

The Texas Tribune

Texas has thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells. Who is responsible for cleaning them up?

Across Texas, abandoned wells are erupting with chemical-infused liquid and some have created massive lakes of contaminated water. Regulators say they need more money to address the problem.

The Texas Tribune

Bill would stop Texas oil drillers from secretly burying toxic waste on private property

House Bill 4572 would introduce new requirements for pits where drillers bury oil and gas waste.

The Texas Tribune

An abandoned West Texas oil well has created a 200-foot-wide sinkhole

The rapidly-growing sinkhole in Upton County is the latest of many problems caused by old wells in the Permian Basin.

The Texas Tribune

A Republican effort to set deadlines to plug orphan wells in Texas hits resistance

The bill would have set deadlines for the oil and gas industry to plug inactive wells, which can pose a danger to the environment.

The Texas Tribune

Bills introduced a year after state’s largest blaze seek to limit wildfires

Among the proposals is a bill that would force more inspections of power lines, which a committee concluded ignited a blaze that burned more than 1 million acres last year.

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