The Texas Railroad Commission has nothing to do with trains. So what are its duties?

When the Texas Railroad Commission was created in 1891, regulating trains was part of its mission.
The state agency’s duties have changed but the name has not, which can be confusing, particularly for voters who choose the three commissioners who create many of the rules governing Texas’ fossil fuel industry.
Texas’ vast oil and natural gas resources make the state a global leader in energy, giving the Railroad Commission – and its more than 1,000 employees – an outsized role in energy and environmental policies that ripple around the globe.
Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond.
Or with:
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
With oversight of railroads transferred elsewhere, the commission now regulates the state’s natural resources, including the oil and gas industry, coal and uranium mining and natural gas utilities.
The bulk of the commission’s business relates to pipeline infrastructure and how oil and natural gas is extracted and stored. The commission approves drilling permits, fines noncompliant operators, enforces weatherization standards for critical fossil fuel infrastructure and also does environmental work.
Three commissioners, elected to six-year terms, typically meet once or twice a month in Austin. The meetings are held in public and can be quite technical, with commissioners considering hundreds of permit requests, enforcement actions and penalties. A Sept. 24 meeting, for instance, included an agenda with more than 700 items,
All three current commissioners — Wayne Christian, Christi Craddick and Jim Wright — are Republicans.
Lawmakers have tried to change the board’s name to better reflect its duties, but the efforts have fallen short amid concerns over costs and potential confusion.
Five candidates are on the November ballot for one seat on the Railroad Commission.
Incumbent Christi Craddick, a Republican, is seeking reelection. Craddick, who has served on the board since 2012 and is its current chair, comes from a powerful Midland oil family that includes her father, state Rep. Tom Craddick, the longest-serving member of the Texas House and a former House speaker.
Katherine Culbert of Houston is the Democrat in the race. Culbert is a process safety engineer in the oil and gas industry.
Hawk Dunlap of Monahans, the Libertarian candidate, has 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has investigated hundreds of plugged wells in West Texas.
Eddie Espinoza of McAllen is running under the Green Party, and Richard McKibbin is running as a write-in candidate.