Oil & Gas and the Texas Railroad Commission: Lessons for Regulating a Free Society

Aside from the cowboy, nothing is more iconically Texan than pump jacks and oil derricks. Yet fewer than five percent of Texas voters are aware that for a hundred years, the Texas Railroad Commission has been the primary regulator of the State's oil and gas industry. The workings of this important agency, with its misleading name, manage to escape widespread public attention. This book was written as a challenge to Texas voters - a challenge to become more engaged in matters related to an industry so vital to the Texas economy
and to become more engaged with a State agency tasked with protecting property rights, public safety, and the environment. Texas voters have a regular and on-going opportunity, an obligation even, to pay attention to what their Commissioners are doing and to hold them accountable. Readers will find general information on oil and gas, as well as more detailed information on production methods such as fracking. Dr. Miller also outlines his recommendations for changing regulatory policy and the Texas Railroad Commission. Public trust can only be ensured by a more transparent Commission and by abolishing the Commission's role as oil and gas industry champion. Reform should include limiting the Commission's purview to critical activities and creating a sunset review policy for rules and regulations. In order to serve all Texans, the Commission should move to become a better protector of the rights of surface owners, commercial entities, and mineral owners.