The Railroad Commission regularly touches on the lives of Texans who live in oil- and gas-producing areas. But during last year’s winter storm, the Commission’s decisions affected the lives of all Texans in a way that it never has before. By _e_delger:
has worked in the oil and gas industry both in Texas and abroad. He is running on a platform of holding the Railroad Commission accountable to landowners and everyday Texans.
“It’s so unconscionable,” Warford said, “that in the energy capital of the world in 2021, we literally couldn’t keep the lights on and people froze to death.” The Commission announced this January that it had finally inspected thousands of gas wells and pipelines, and found that 98 percent had been winterized. A recent investigation by, however, revealed that although these operators said they were ready for winter, more than half were not using physical cold weather barriers or heating systems to protect their equipment. Most also had not tested or simulated any extreme weather preparedness procedures.
“You have literally thousands of permits to flare throughout Texas, and it’s increased over time,” said, the conservation director of the Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter. “If you just attend any Railroad Commission meeting, you’ll see that they grant exceptions, allowing companies to flare every single meeting.”