Reports.pdf

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has policies that allow sitting commissioners to profit from the industry they oversee, potentially exacerbating inadequate oversight. The commission's mission is to serve Texas through stewardship of natural resources and the environment, but it often prioritizes oil and gas development over safety and the environment.

To address this issue, proposed reforms include:
1. Requiring commissioners to divest from the industries they regulate before serving.
2. Limiting campaign contributions to the 18-month period preceding an election and capping contributions at $5,000 per election cycle.
3. Improving financial disclosure by increasing the upper range value of disclosures and specifying income sources.
4. Strengthening recusal standards to include cases involving companies with which commissioners have personal equity, income, or business ties.
5. Using a neutral forum for contested cases through the State Office of Administrative Hearings.
6. Reducing bias in legislative accountability by requiring legislators with family ties to commissioners to recuse themselves from decisions involving the agency.

Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick and her colleagues oversee the oil and gas industry after being elected in campaigns largely funded by the industry. Craddick maintains stakes in oil and gas entities that do business with her agency, with a net worth of at least $8 million to more than $19.5 million, and oil and gas assets worth between $1.5 million to more than $1.9 million.