Commission Shift
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Commission Shift is working to reform oil and gas oversight in Texas.
Commission Shift focuses on holding the Railroad Commission of Texas accountable in a shifting energy landscape, since -- despite its name -- the Railroad Commission oversees the oil and gas industry.
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With people across our state dealing with the impacts of the oil and gas industry, Commission Shift will bring together Texans to spur changes at the Railroad Commission to improve the agency’s function, transparency, and accountability.
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We value the dedicated staff at the Railroad Commission and look forward to engaging with them thoughtfully to address our state’s needs.
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The leaders of Commission Shift bring decades of experience as researchers and Texas landowners. Financial support for Commission Shift comes from a broad range of institutional and individual donors who are aligned with the mission.
Who’s making the bed for the oil and gas industry?
IInstead of asking the Legislafure for more staff inspectors and funding to enforce a new law that will require active operators to plug their oldest inactive wells, the RRC asked the legislature for 10x more money to plug emergency wells.
10/01/2026
Public Hearing on Agency's proposed Repeal of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Standards for Fossil Fuel-fired Electric Generating Units (EGUs) Public Hearing on Agency's proposed Repeal of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Standards for Fossil Fuel-fired Electric Generating Units (EGUs).
10/01/2026
Texas faces these same challenges. But worse, we have less data available on spill and leak locations and volumes to quantify the problem.
09/30/2026
Commission Shift's Virginia Palacios spoke at the September 14th House Energy Resources Committee about the importance of protecting people, not corporate interests, when developing carbon capture use and storage technology.
Read her full comments: https://commissionshift.org/news/testimony-to-the-house-energy-resources-committee-september-2026/
09/28/2026
On September 14th, Commission Shift's Virginia Palacios spoke to the Texas House Energy Resources Committee about the inadequacies in SB 1150, the newly passed legislation meant to address the orphaned well crisis in Texas.
Read Virginia's full testimony: https://commissionshift.org/news/testimony-to-the-house-energy-resources-committee-september-2026/
09/28/2026
Join us this Thursday in a group action to call the RRC and demand they keep open meetings open to the public: https://secure.everyaction.com/hK-q9RBh90mM7GSHwH97ww2
09/25/2026
On September 14th, Commission Shift's Julie Range spoke to the Texas House Energy Resources Committee about the importance of safeguarding produced water.
Read Julie's full testimony: https://commissionshift.org/news/testimony-to-the-house-energy-resources-committee-september-2026/
09/24/2026
We love to stir stink
Susan Hovorka, a geologist with the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin, shared her thoughts on the dangers of CCUS projects at the House Energy Resources Committee hearing last week.
We don’t think that the dangers should be minimized.
Does this look like “dignity” or “respect” to you?
At the start of every open meeting of the Railroad Commission, the chairman reads a reminder to all attendees to conduct themselves with “dignity, courtesy, and respect.” Commissioner Christian used an expletive in his angry comments towards our executive director Virginia, comments with which Commissioner Craddick voiced agreement.
We believe railroad commissioners should listen to us — their constituents — and our concerns, not berate us for participating in democracy. If you agree, sign the petition telling the to protect public input at future open meetings of the RRC: https://secure.everyaction.com/JErTGiP4x0ufxh586Avoow2
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