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3 Annual Regulatory Conference Just a Few Weeks Away!
4 RRC’s State Managed Cleanup Program Continues Vital Work in 2024
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6 Railroad Commission Hires New Government Relations Director P. 8 Commissioners’ Corner
RRC Open Meeting Thursday, August 15, 2024
The RRC’s most popular conference, the annual Regulatory Conference, kicks off later this month, and the time to register is winding down.
The conference will be held July 30-31 in Austin at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center, and registration ends July 25.
Each year RRC staff utilizes the conference to inform and train oil and gas operators and representatives on the applicable laws, rules, and procedures for hydrocarbon production in Texas. This includes updates on rules, regulations and filings.
This conference will feature over 60 sessions covering a variety of topics including: inactive well compliance; the new Lonestar P-5 online filing guidelines, organization reports and financial assurance; carbon sequestration and Class VI underground injection control permitting; severance tax incentives; Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) rules updates; specialized pipeline inspections; and much more.
In addition to RRC presenters, the conference will feature presenters from Energy World, Industrial Training Services, Mears Group, Inc., National Transportation Safety Board, PHMSA, RCP Inc., RegSafe and Southern Methodist University.
Last year was the first year that we featured exhibitors at the conference, and we will do so again this year.
Early Bird registration for the conference has ended, and the current registration fee is $550 per person.
For decades, the RRC’s State Managed Cleanup Program (SMCU) has cleared out waste and hazards from abandoned oil and gas sites as part of our steadfast mission to protect public safety and the environment in communities throughout Texas.
The SMCU oversees, coordinates and performs both assessments and cleanups of abandoned oil and gas facilities. Most cleanups typically involve removing waste from surface equipment such as tank batteries and separators and remediating affected soils at abandoned well sites. Cleanup activities often follow well plugging activities, and the program also cleans up abandoned pits, reclamation facilities and other types of sites such as abandoned natural gas processing plants, and leaking pipelines.
The RRC utilizes a variety of environmental investigation tools and methods to collect information that helps RRC staff make decisions about where and how remediation is performed.
“This program uses environmental investigation methods such as soil borings and monitor well installation to assess subsurface and groundwater conditions through direct sampling, as well as non-intrusive geophysical methods to assess the subsurface indirectly.” said Peter Pope, RRC Site Remediation Manager. “We also utilize technologies such as drone aerial geophysical surveys and environmental forensics to identify sources of contamination. Our environmental investigations have a variety of purposes, including the identification
and delineation of contamination, development of remediation plans, confirmation of cleanup success, and, in some cases, gathering environmental data to inform enforcement actions.
As of June 26th, the SMCU has completed 334 cleanup activities, continuing a trend of hundreds of cleanups each year. In fiscal year 2022 the RRC completed 245 cleanup activities, and 239 cleanups in fiscal year 2023.
The Railroad Commission’s newest Government Relations Director started work at the agency this month. Nathan McDaniel brings a strong record of legislative and private industry experience to his role at the RRC.
Before joining the Commission, McDaniel served as Communications Director for a Texas State Senator and was Campaign Manager and District Director for a member of the United States House of Representatives. In these roles, McDaniel engaged community leaders and government officials on a variety of policy issues, including energy and environmental policies. In his most recent role, he consulted state and local public sector entities on strategic communications and marketing efforts. McDaniel will take on a critical role overseeing the implementation of all
state legislation and any federal legislation at the agency, and preparing the RRC for the next legislative session which begins in January 2025.
“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to work with the Commissioners and agency staff to ensure Texas continues to lead the way in energy production and environmental stewardship,” said McDaniel. “As a lifelong Texan, I know how critical these resources are not only to our great state, but to the entire country. Working together with my colleagues at the RRC and other state and industry leaders, I am confident Texas will continue to lead the world in innovative and responsible ways to produce the energy resources we need.”
McDaniel holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and a Master’s in Public Leadership from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.
June was a busy month for Chairman Christi Craddick. She spoke with the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists in Corpus Christi about agency efforts and the upcoming legislative session. Additionally, she was honored to speak to all 1,100 Boys State attendees at their annual visit to Austin. She spoke on the importance of community service and a commitment to civic engagement. Additionally, Chairman Craddick also spent time at the State Capitol visiting with the legislature about the agency’s funding needs for the upcoming biennium. Although the legislative session does not begin until January, working with leaders in the appropriations process in advance is crucial to ensuring the agency is well-positioned for its budgetary needs. Chairman Craddick also spent time with industry groups discussing critical issues like seismicity and natural gas supply for power generation
In June, Commissioner Christian put out a press release calling on the Biden Administration to end their LNG ban. Christian said the following:
“At a time when our allies need U.S. energy the most, President Biden is making it harder for them to access it. Ukraine’s deal for American LNG could be the leverage the West needs to gain an upper hand on Putin by ending Europe’s reliance on Russian energy and depriving Putin of his primary revenue source to fund his unjust war.”
Read more here
Additionally, Commissioner Christian put out a press release applauding the Supreme Court’s decision on the 1984 Chevron Deference decision. The Commissioner said the following:
“For years, liberal unelected government bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. have run roughshod over Americans. That ends now. Thanks to three SCOTUS justices appointed by President Trump, the problem has been fixed. Federal judges now have the authority to rein in runaway bureaucrats, who treat the Constitution like toilet paper and hand out red tape like its Halloween candy.”
Read more here
In June, Commissioner Wright traveled to Midland and Odessa where he met with local elected officials and industry stakeholders about recent developments in the energy industry.
During his trip, the Commissioner also visited a drilling rig and stopped by the Railroad Commission’s District 8 office to meet with staff and drop off some much-appreciated donuts.
“I always enjoy the opportunity to get out of Austin and get my boots on the ground out in the field,” said Commissioner Wright. “Whether discussing issues with the staff at the district office or visiting a rig site and talking with the site supervisor and employees on location, it gives me a better perspective of the challenges faced by the oil and gas industry as well as the vast amount of innovation occurring every day.”
View monthly production totals of crude oil, condensate and total oil; and of gas well gas, casinghead gas, and total natural gas.
The Commission has primary oversight and enforcement of the state’s oil and gas industry and intrastate pipeline safety. View RRC’s Latest Enforcement Actions here.
The Public GIS Viewer allows users to view oil, gas and pipeline data in a map view.