Looking back at 2022
This month I am taking stock of a productive year, and I am so proud of the impact Commission Shift has had in such a short time. We’ve worked to establish ourselves as experts and thought leaders for oil and gas oversight in Texas. In collaboration with our partners, we’ve brought the public to the legislature and to the Railroad Commission to comment and testify during open meetings, on rulemakings, on plans and guidance documents, and more. Best of all, that public engagement is working!
Our programs and research are helping our communities – especially those impacted by oil and gas development – to hold the Railroad Commission accountable to its mission. We all deserve responsible public agencies that prioritize our public health and safety.
I’m delighted to work alongside the six new staff members we recruited in 2022, and I can’t wait to meet the folks who will join our team in the near future. I'm confident that the results of our efforts will continue to grow in the years to come. This holiday season, I encourage you to look for ways to volunteer and support Commission Shift’s mission, especially as we head into the 2023 Texas legislative session. Thank you for helping us achieve so much this year.
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-Virginia Palacios
Executive Director
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Thank you for being part of our effort to reform oil and gas oversight in Texas. Together we can make the Railroad Commission of Texas a stronger agency that plans for our energy future and puts people and the environment first.
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Pipeline Safety and Carbon Dioxide Awareness
This past month, our Executive and Deputy Directors traveled to News Orleans for the annual National Landowners Conference hosted by Property Rights and Pipeline Center, and the annual Pipeline Safety Trust Conference. We are proud to report that our work is making a difference!
Dr. Reyes discussed her participation in a working group to draft the American Petroleum Institute’s Recommended Practice 1185 (RP 1185) on Pipeline Public Engagement. One consideration of the RP is to move beyond “Public Awareness,” which is fundamentally a one-way communication framework. The ballot for RP 1185 is now open for public input, for those who wish to provide feedback on the draft recommended practice.
- Go to the following website to submit comments: http://ballots.api.org
- Enter the ballot ID: 5959 [leave the Login ID field blank] and press the Login button.
- You need to use the official commenting template provided by API for comments to be considered. It is available at the initial link above.
- Deadline: Jan 30, 2023.
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Also on the panel was Linda Daugherty, Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations in the Office of Pipeline Safety at PHMSA. Linda discussed the department's actions following the publication of two studies, one by PHMSA and one that Virginia Palacios co-authored with a research team at Colorado State University, which found a higher incidence of natural gas pipeline leaks in low income communities and in communities of color. Linda’s team is now working on a tool that utilities and state regulators can use to assess disparities in pipeline leaks considering a social vulnerability index.
Finally, no event better demonstrates the need for pipeline safety than the tragic Denbury carbon dioxide pipeline explosion, which resulted in loss of property, and the injury and displacement of local residents, in Satartia, Mississippi. One victim of the explosion, Debrae Burns, spent a week on a hospital ventilator and is still suffering memory loss and other trauma.
Virginia Palacios brought this message to the Railroad Commission this past week at their open meeting. “As the commission continues to seek primacy for Class VI carbon dioxide injection, more of our communities will be exposed to hazards of carbon dioxide infrastructure, and we are counting on you to keep us safe,” said Palacios. You can read Virginia’s full comments here.
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88th Texas Legislative Session
Commission Shift staff and our supporters spent a day and a half visiting legislative offices at the end of November to educate legislative staff about the impacts landowners are facing from unplugged oil and gas wells, why it’s time to change the Railroad Commission’s name to one that suits their purpose, and how we can clean up campaign finance laws at the Railroad Commission of Texas.
Texas’ 88th Regular Legislative Session starts January 10, 2023 and ends May 29, 2023. We’re looking forward to a productive spring!
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COMING UP
Jan. 10th - 12th: Public hearing on EPA’s methane rules
Jan. 30th: Deadline for public comments on RP 1186 (see above)
Feb. 13th: Deadline to submit written comments on EPA’s methane rules.
Feb. 15th: Poster Contest Deadline
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EPA methane rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a Supplemental Proposal to Reduce Pollution from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry to Fight the Climate Crisis and Protect Public Health. The supplemental proposal expands the scope of a 2021 proposal the EPA issued, and takes into account additional public comments and testimony the agency received. The supplemental proposal would reduce leaks and emissions from a number of oil and gas facility components, but also includes limits to venting and flaring from oil and gas wells. A 2020 study found that flaring in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas caused 50% higher odds of pre-term birth for women living next to high rates of flaring -these results were only found for Hispanic women.
The Railroad Commission currently regulates the amount of time and volume of gas operators can vent and flare, but it routinely authorizes exceptions to venting and flaring requests, and does not consider air quality or public health impacts of these activities. While the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is supposed to consider air pollution and health impacts from oil and gas, venting and flaring from oil and gas production sites is pre-authorized and rarely, if ever, restricted by the TCEQ.
All speaking slots for the EPA’s January public hearing are currently full, but you can still submit written comments on the supplemental proposal until February 13, 2023. Virginia Palacios, Commission Shift’s Executive Director will be giving spoken testimony at the public hearing.
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Announcing Commission Shift Poster Contest
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Commission Shift is pleased to announce that we are now open for submissions for our annual
poster contest. The contest will be open for submission between November 20th, 2022 -
February 15, 2023.
Submissions can come from anyone based in Texas, and should reflect images and messages around our mission statement and values, or any of our education and outreach programs centered on reforming the Railroad Commission:
- Energy transition: oil and gas well plugging and cleanup, and carbon capture and storage
- Public participation, civic engagement, and language access
- Ethics and conflicts of interest at the Railroad Commission
- Preparing the grid and utility customers for extreme weather
First place will receive an $800 prize and inclusion in our annual report, and runner up will receive $200. Deadline to submit is February 15!
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Open Meetings & Twitter Spaces
Commission Shift has been using a new feature on Twitter, called Twitter Spaces, where we open a live interactive audio space to discuss the Railroad Commission’s Open Meetings. We are opening Twitter Spaces to discuss highlights from RRC Agendas one week prior to the scheduled Open Meetings and after the meetings to give a recap. If you join our live Twitter Spaces, you can request to be a speaker. You’re welcome to join us to ask a question or add commentary.
The next six months of RRC Open Meetings have been scheduled. You will be able to find future agendas and webcast links here.
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Policy Manager:
Commission Shift is seeking applications to fill two Policy Manager positions based in Austin, who will serve as subject matter experts on two or more focus areas related to our mission including, but not limited to: CCUS, orphaned wells, oil and gas waste disposal, ethics, campaign finance, public participation and language accessibility.
The Policy Managers will report to the Deputy Director and will collaborate with the organizing team, communications team, and research consultants to develop key strategies and policy positions for the organization.
These individuals will attend virtual and in-person meetings at the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Texas Legislature, and other agencies as needed. They will also interact with relevant stakeholders and coalitions to better understand the issues and develop strategies and recommendations. The salary is $60,000 to $75,000, depending on experience. Full details and application instructions here.
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Find more coverage on our news page.
P.S. Be sure to follow Commission Shift on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
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Commission Shift
212 Flores Avenue
Laredo, TX 78040
United States
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