RRC Highlights its Extensive Environmental Work at EarthX Conference and Expo

The Railroad Commission of Texas participated in the EarthX Conference and Expo in Dallas during Earth Day weekend to spread awareness of the commission’s extensive work safeguarding Texans and regulating the state’s oil and gas industry.

Hundreds of attendees showed up at the RRC booth to discuss the agency’s’ history and extensive work reducing the environmental impacts of the oil and gas industry which the RRC has overseen for more than a century in Texas. Many were also surprised to hear about the many uses of hydrocarbons in different everyday products.

The Commission has carried out a mission of protecting the environment and the state’s energy production for more than 130 years. The RRC took this opportunity to inform the public concerning relevant improvements and figures surrounding energy in Texas.

Recent statistics show that despite growth in the energy industry, it has not had adverse effects on air quality. There’s been almost a 10% decrease in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, while total energy production in the U.S. increased by 42% from 1999-2019, according to the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies. There has been a 78% reduction in six major pollutants regulated by the EPA since 1970.

RRC Commissioner Wayne Christian attended the conference and spoke on a panel called Conservation: A Conservative Perspective.

“Contrary to popular belief, fossil fuel usage and a clean environment are not mutually exclusive,” said Commissioner Christian. “In the last 100 years, fossil fuels have helped to save human lives from the elements, provided more food to the starving, lifted people out of poverty, and helped enable our modern, technological way of life in the 21st century. With about 3 billion people on this planet needing access to reliable energy, global energy strategies should be about empowering access to fossil fuels not limiting them.”

The RRC has been recognized nationwide for several of its programs such as; groundwater protection, orphaned well plugging, abandoned mine land restoration, surface mining reclamation, and seismicity monitoring. The agency has evolved over the years utilizing state-of-the art technology, inspections, and staff expertise to protect groundwater and the safety of residents in a growing state.