Tipton best in GOP primary for Railroad Commission
The Texas Railroad Commission's mission statement can seem contradictory at first glance. It commits to being good stewards of Texas' environment while also pledging to promote the oil and gas industry, and protect the safety of those of us who live here.
For too long, the agency has favored industry, and all but left it to regulate itself. The bare-minimum standards adopted by the commission in the aftermath of February's devastating Winter Storm Uri, which killed more than 200 people and cost billions, are only the latest and most egregious example.
It's time for a change, and the only people authorized by the Texas Constitution to make it are the voters. We heartily recommend they replace the one commissioner whose term expires this year, Chairman Wayne Christian.
Christian, 71, faces four Republican opponents, and two of them would be a clear improvement. We recommend Dawayne Tipton, 41, a longtime oil and gas worker who climbed the industry ladder from roughneck to upper management. He has hands-on experience and a firm grasp of the science and technology shaping the industry's future.
His focus on holding oil and gas operators accountable is sorely needed at an agency that too often ignores bad behavior. Tipton intends to overhaul the commission's inspections department and improve safety regulations. Most importantly, Tipton committed to holding repeat violators accountable, particularly on areas such as weatherizing and forcing operators to pay out of pocket to cap abandoned wells that leak contaminants into the air and groundwater.
Most impressive, Tipton proposed a better way for the commission to prepare for freezing weather in the future: create an inspection task force to ensure that gas operators are weatherized, and if not, administer consequences. “It comes back to two central themes: action to resolve problems and accountability when measures aren't followed,” he told us.
By contrast, the current leadership at the RRC at first attempted to eschew responsibility for the grid's near-collapse last year. Christian was one of the first public officials to peddle the lie that renewable energy sources caused power outages. Even after this claim was debunked by federal regulators, he refused to apologize and instead doubled down. It's one reason we called for his resignation in November.
Attorney Sarah Stogner, 37, has the passion and knowledge for the job. But the fact that her campaign is financed by her client, landowner Ashley Williams Watt, who has raised a stink about the RRC ignoring well blowouts on her land, made us wonder if it played too heavily in her decision to run.
Candidate Tom Slocum, 38, stresses the importance of blockchain technology and the rise of cryptocurrency, on one hand, and on the other, vowing to secure Texas' energy resources by completing a border wall. Neither priority strikes us as the right focus for the Railroad Commission.
Tipton is our choice in the Republican primary because of his committment to fight for the industry's future, but not at the expense of clean the clear air and water, and the reliable electric grid that Texans depend on.