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April 5, 2016
Title: Texas Railroad Commission
Topic: Texas Railroad Commission
Discussed by Gary Gates
with Gary Gates (www.GaryGatesForTexas.com)
In a different lifetime – in a different century, even – the Texas
Legislature enabled a new commission: The Texas Railroad Commission.
This commission had the responsibility of overseeing many different aspects
concerning industries in Texas. Many people are under the misinformation that
the Texas Railroad Commission only deals with matters relating to the railroad.
Gary Gates in a candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission. Listen as
host Terry Lowry and Gary Gates explain more about this Commission and its
background. It was much, much more than just matters of the railroad. In fact,
after the 1940’s, the Federal Government actually began overseeing the railroad
industry and now the Commission mainly handles issues related to the oil and gas
industry!
Gary explains more: “Its main duties are to protect the public in [regards
to] safety. And to maximize the production of minerals in Texas.”
Should the name of the Commission be changed since it doesn’t deal with railroad
issues anymore? There are pros and cons to both keeping and changing the name.
However, Gary is a proponent of changing the name because people get so
confused! “In the interest of transparency, you need to have a name that
reflects what its mission is,” he believes. For example, the Railroad
Commission has absolutely nothing to do with the proposed high-speed rail from
Dallas to Houston!!
There are those who believe that the Texas Railroad Commission is obsolete and
should be disbanded. However, there is not another agency in the state that can
handle the duties which the Commission oversees. Gary explains how the
Commission is in charge of managing hydraulic fracking and other matters
regarding oil and gas, including supervision of thousands of miles of pipelines,
drilling permits, who pays for certain costs, and the safety of all Texans.
The Texas Railroad Commission is absolutely necessary and of utmost
importance to all Texans. Listen in as Gary implores all voters to get out and
vote on May 24 to keep Texas safe and secure.
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