Meet our new Advisory Committee

As Commission Shift approaches our 1 year anniversary, we are proud to introduce our new Advisory Committee. This distinguished group of experts will support our strategic efforts to reform the Railroad Commission of Texas. These volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds and will work closely with the Executive Director and Board Members to guide Commission Shift's initiatives.

John Beard, Jr. is the founder and CEO of the Port Arthur Community Action Network (PA-CAN), serving as an advocate focusing on environmental issues, social justice and community development in Port Arthur, Texas.

Jose Beceiro serves as the Senior Director of Global Energy 2.0 for the Greater Houston Partnership.

James Coleman is an Associate Professor at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.

Tricia Cortez is executive director of Rio Grande International Study Center, where she oversees the mission and day-to-day operations of Laredo’s leading environmental nonprofit

Katherine Culbert is co-founder and CEO of K and K Process, a Houston-based consulting firm that assists oil and gas companies in improving process, personnel, and pipeline safety and reducing environmental impacts.

Ty Edwards is the General Manager of the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District.

Marisa Perales is a partner in Perales, Allmon & Ice, P.C., a small environmental law firm that advocates against polluters and in favor of the public's interest throughout Texas.

Karl R. Rabago operates Rábago Energy LLC, an energy consultancy based in Denver, Colorado.

Sr. Elizabeth Riebschlaeger is a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio, TX. She serves as a volunteer advocate for citizens and their concerns as their lives, properties and health are being impacted by shale development.

David Todd is a conservationist with interests in geography, oral history, sustainable agriculture and ecological restoration.

Read more about our Advisory Committee.

Join Commission Shift at the Texas Energy Summit

We are pleased to announce our partnership and support of the upcoming Texas Energy Summit, being held next week at the Texas Capitol March 2-4, 2022.  Don’t delay, register now as seating is limited!

Commission Shift Executive Director Virginia Palacios will be on the Wednesday morning plenary session “Increasing Resiliency Post-Uri.” Hope to see you there!

Job Openings – Deputy Director and Campaign Director

The Commission Shift team is growing, and we’re looking for two great superstars.

Apply today for one of these open positions, or spread the word!

Deputy Director: The Deputy Director will assist in overall organizational operations like personnel and consultant management, board of directors relations, administrative and legal issues, and grant reporting. They will be part of the core campaign team, helping develop strategy, building relationships with stakeholders, and ensuring we have the resources to execute on our mission. We’re looking for someone with solid organizational and relationship building skills.

This position can be based anywhere in Texas. The salary range is $75,000 - $90,000 depending on experience. Full details and application instructions available on our website. Full details and application instructions here.

Campaign Director: The Campaign Director will develop and implement public advocacy campaigns to reform the Railroad Commission of Texas. From power mapping to strategy development and campaign team assembly, a range of skills will help this key team member succeed. 

A promising candidate will have a solid background in community organizing or outreach, and experience planning and executing online and in-person events, managing campaign organizers, field organizers and more. The Campaign Director will meet with stakeholders, lawmakers, and advocates. They will guide consultants running digital campaigns and help use the tools at their disposal to build public support to reform oil and gas oversight in Texas.

This position can be based anywhere in Texas, though the Austin area is preferred. The salary range is $65,000 - $75,000 depending on experience. Full details and application instructions here.

Orphan oil & gas wells update

At the end of January, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it was making $1.15 billion available to states from the bipartisan infrastructure law to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells across the country. Texas is eligible for $25 million in this initial phase and could be eligible for $344 million over the life of the program.

The purpose of the funds is to create jobs and reduce methane emissions but the funding also means U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill for a problem that lax state oversight created. The Railroad Commission routinely allows oil and gas companies to get extensions on inactive well plugging requirements -so much so that Texas now has over 142,000 inactive unplugged wells on record.

Photo: Sinkhole at FM 1053, Grandfalls Volunteer Fire Department (Aug. 20, 2016)

These wells are vulnerable to being orphaned and becoming the state's responsibility if the operators go bankrupt in the next bust cycle. The Railroad Commission could be an agent of change, creating jobs funded by industry and not taxpayers, if it required operators to clean up after themselves without allowing well plugging extensions.

The Department of Energy will also offer $30 million for research and development to assist states with “identifying 

and characterizing undocumented orphaned wells” and “mitigating the environmental risks of undocumented orphaned wells.” The Railroad Commission would be wise to take advantage of this opportunity for federal assistance to clean up oil and gas wells that were long ago reclassified as water wells and are now presenting pollution problems. Hazards like Boehmer Lake and the sinkhole on FM 1053 in Pecos County represent problems that are too costly for individual landowners or counties to solve on their own. With the influx of federal funds, the state can help to pay for a problem that it helped to create.

For more insight into Commission Shift’s recommendations for preventing orphan wells, see our latest report: Eliminating Orphan Wells and Sites in Texas.

Media Highlights

• Our recent report about orphan oil and gas wells was covered on The Texas Signal, the Laredo Morning Times and Texas Public Radio.
• The 1-year anniversary of Winter Storm Uri led to several stories about how natural gas infrastructure is still not ready for extreme weather. KENS-5 San Antonio, the Houston Chronicle, and KVUE Austin were among the outlets marking the anniversary.
• With the primary election underway for various statewide offices including Railroad Commission, CBS 7 in Midland-Odessa and the Austin American-Statesman included perspectives from Commission Shift on why this agency is so important. 

Find more coverage on our news page.

P.S. Be sure to follow Commission Shift on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Commission Shift
212 Flores Avenue
Laredo, TX 78040
United States

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