Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog
I ran across this video from the Austin American Statesman – a reporter asking people what is the business of the Texas Railroad Commission. Not many voters know. Once again, the Sunset Commission has recommended that the Commission’s name be changed to something like the Texas Energy Commission. Sounds like a good idea. But strange things happen at the Legislature.
The RRC has three commissioners, each elected state-wide for terms of six years. There is an open seat this year, so voters will be electing a new commissioner. The Republican candidate is Wayne Christian, a former state lawmaker from East Texas. His campaign platform includes fighting for right to life, supporting gun rights and opposing illegal immigration. He represented District 9 in the Texas House until 2012, when he was defeated by Chris Paddie. Christian ran for RRC in 2014 and lost in a runoff to Ryan Sitton, currently on the RRC. Christian opposes changing the name of the RRC.
The democratic candidate is Grady Yarbrough.
The most qualified candidate is the Libertarian candidate, Mark Miller, a petroleum engineer, endorsed by the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, and the Victoria Advocate.