Keep regulation light, prices low, our nation safe

When it comes to energy, our nation is at a crossroads.

Will we continue down the path of liberal Democrats, and President Joe Biden, who want to transition away from cheap and reliable oil and gas? Or will we restore American energy dominance, lowering prices at the pump and making America safer from global threats?

Under former President Donald Trump, the United States became a net exporter of energy in 2019 for the first time in 67 years, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world. This brought affordable energy and boosted national security. Our country achieved this by empowering domestic oil and gas producers.

Energy security is national security. Nowhere is this demonstrated more clearly than the European Union, which relies on Russia for nearly 40 percent of its natural gas supply. Europe has painted itself into an energydependent corner and jeopardized its security as a result. It doesn’t have to be this way. Texas is the nation’s largest producer of oil and gas, and if it were a country, it would be the third-largest natural gas producer in the world. The Lone Star State is crucial for meeting U.S. energy needs, as well as supplementing our allies’ supplies.

To do this, we need to maintain strong leadership at the Railroad Commission of Texas, our state’s regulatory body for oil and natural gas. That is why I am running for re-election.

My opponent in the Republican runoff for railroad commissioner, Sarah Stogner, has advocated for increasing regulations on oil and gas producers, tweeting in June they can “pass the cost along like every other industry.” When pressed about how it would impact the bottom line of the oil and gas industry, she replied: “How do they do it in Colorado? New Mexico? Other places have more stringent regulations and seem to do just fine.”

I regularly hear from companies that operate in multiple states. A big reason they are investing and expanding operations in Texas and not in Democratic-run states such as New Mexico and Colorado is due to excessive regulations elsewhere. When you over-regulate something, you get less of it.

With the highest gas prices in years and war in Europe, does Stogner really think we need more regulations that will further increase the price at the pump for struggling Texas families? The American consumer is already suffering from record inflation, and the last thing we need is higher energy prices “passed along.”

I have been endorsed by the Texas Oil & Gas Association,

Texas Alliance of Energy Producers and conservative watchdog groups because I have a proven record of opposing frivolous regulations, standing strong for free markets and fighting to ensure low-cost, reliable energy for my constituents.

As Gov. Greg Abbott’s appointee to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, I have been a national leader in the fight against Democratic efforts such as the Green New Deal and stopping federal overreach.

If you re-elect me, you can trust I will continue to fight for American energy independence and cheap, reliable energy for Texas consumers.