Austin-insider war on the Railroad Commission?

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Robert Pratt

Is there an Austin-insider war on the Texas Railroad Commission and our energy industry?

A Texas Tribune story on a recent hearing in Austin reported about the Sunset Review staff’s report on the agency:  “When I went through this report, I thought to myself, ‘Why are you so angry at the Railroad Commission?'” Rep. Dan Flynn told Sunset commission staff.

“Oil and gas industry is the heart and soul of the state of Texas, the Canton Republican added, “And for us to go and attack an agency that’s done a pretty good job, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Sunset Commission staffers said they did not intend to be mean. “We are not angry with the Railroad Commission,” said Ken Levine, executive director of the Sunset Commission. “We think in a lot of ways, they do a really good job. And when we spotted things where they weren’t, we brought it forward,” the story reported.

…when did the Sunset Commission become an efficiency consultant?

I think that short of a chance at a Legislative majority, Texas liberals have slowly been taking control of inside agencies such as the staff at the Sunset Commission. And so yes, I think there is a war on the Railroad Commission that is part of the global war on fossil fuel energy and all the institutions involved in such.

I’m not suggesting that some reforms might not be in order but that there is a larger agenda at play which is not truly focused on improving government. Also, when did the Sunset Commission become an efficiency consultant?

Most legislators will likely not notice such but many do realize that not much good has come from the Sunset Commission in some time. Mostly it has become a place where omnibus-like bills are created to re-arrange the deck chairs of government and settle political scores.

There were calls last session to sunset the Sunset Commission and reform an agency to achieve the original noble goal of cutting out wasteful government. It’s time the house be cleaned and mission refocused.

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Comments

  1. Sounds to me ‘ the Sunset Commission is the ‘ Problem ‘ not the ‘ Railroad Commission ‘ . Who appoints these ‘Sunset Commissions ‘ to stir-up problems ?

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