By Rory Dulock | Staff Writer
Candidates from the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Green parties are all hoping to have the edge in the Railroad Commissioner race on Election Day.
Despite its name, the Railroad Commission actually has nothing to do with railroad regulations anymore. The commission no longer has authority over railroads in Texas as the remaining jurisdiction was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.
“Our mission is to serve Texas by our stewardship of natural resources and the environment, our concern for personal and community safety, and our support of enhanced development and economic vitality for the benefit of Texans,” the website reads.
The current three commissioners are Republican Chairman Christi Craddick, Republican Commissioner Wayne Christian and Republican Commissioner Jim Wright. Each term is six years long, and every two years there is a reelection for Railroad Commissioner. The candidates seeking the open Railroad Commissioner slot are Craddick, Democratic candidate Katherine Culbert, Green Party candidate Eddie Espinoza, Libertarian Hawk Dunlap and Richard McKibbin, a write-in candidate.
Christi Craddick (R) (Incumbent)
Craddick was first appointed commissioner back in 2012. She said via email that the main regulations she would push for if reelected are ones that support Texas’ energy independence and rights.
According to Craddick, other important goals include providing consistent regulation to allow industry to innovate and develop new technologies. She said she aims to protect Texans’ health, safety and private property rights through these initiatives.
Craddick said during her past two terms as railroad commissioner, she considers the efficiency of her agency to be her biggest accomplishment.
“Ensuring the agency can serve the people of Texas in a timely, efficient and effective manner is a top priority,” Craddick said. “Under my leadership, we have overhauled the agency’s IT system, which has reduced permitting times significantly, in some cases allowing operators to receive a permit within 48 hours. In contrast, many federal permits can take over 12 months.”
Craddick said she understands and promotes “science-based regulation that fosters innovation and growth in the energy sector, while upholding the mission of the Railroad Commission to protect personal and environmental safety.”
“It’s vital that we continue to have experienced leadership in what is one of the most critical statewide offices,” Craddick said. “The Railroad Commission has regulatory oversight of an industry that is essential to the state’s prosperity and the nation’s security.”
Katherine Culbert (D)
Culbert said some specific regulations and policies she would push for if elected is try to change the name of the name of the Railroad Commission, push for transparency within the agency and address the language justice issues within the commission.
“The railroad commission deals with a lot of oil and gas operations and a lot of the operations happen in communities where English is not the first language,” Culbert said. “Everything that is produced by the Railroad Commission to communicate to residents, most of it is published only in English. They have started doing a couple things in Spanish, but we really need to expand that language with justice and really allow all our communities to be informed and to know what’s going on and how these decisions are affecting their lives.”
The commission just needs to enforce a lot of the regulations that are already in place, not necessarily add new regulations, Culbert said. According to Culbert, the Railroad Commission has had over 8,000 requests for flaring and venting exceptions since 2021, and the commission has approved all but 44 of them.
“We just need to enforce the rules we have on the books and make sure that these companies are doing the right thing,” Culbert said. “We really need a strong regulator that’s going to hold these companies accountable and not just give them a free pass and let them do whatever they want with our state.”
Eddie Espinoza (G)
According to Espinoza’s campaign website, his action plan includes cleaning up and phasing out the fossil fuel industry, protecting water, renaming the Railroad Commission, prioritizing lowering energy costs for Texans, stopping oil and gas bailouts, transparency and campaign finance reform.
“The Texas Railroad Commission can help Texas achieve affordable and sustainable energy independence by working towards 100% renewable energy and utility-scale batteries,” Espinoza stated. “Texas families need a railroad commissioner who will strongly advocate to cap orphaned, zombie and unplugged idle oil and gas wells. Our Texas environment needs a commissioner who will ban fracking and call for the transition of fossil fuel jobs away from drilling to plugging and cleanup.”
Hawk Dunlap (L)
According to Dunlap’s campaign website, he knows the need for reform especially in plugging wells effectively to prevent groundwater contamination, blowouts and “zombie wells.”
“These problems not only endanger public health and the environment but also undermine the integrity of our energy industry,” Dunlap said. “With [my] leadership, the commission can enforce stricter regulations, improve well-plugging procedures and ensure accountability, thereby protecting Texas’ resources and communities.”
Richard McKibbin (Write-in)
McKibbin is running with the American Solidarity Party as a write-in. According to his campaign Facebook account, he said his candidacy “offers voters an opportunity to exercise their conscience.”
“As a write-in candidate for railroad commissioner, endorsed by the American Solidarity Party, I represent a small yet growing pro-life organization grounded in Catholic social teaching and reformed Christian principles, welcoming individuals from diverse faith backgrounds and secular advocates,” the website states.
