Commission Shift

06/17/2026

Hilcorp has the highest number of inactive oil and gas wells in Texas, more than 6,000. Old wells that are allowed to sit and leak harm our health, environment, and climate.

Read more via ProPublica:

Oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand gave millions to Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign. He is set to reap a financial windfall as the EPA moves to weaken restrictions on wells like his that produce very little energy but release vast amounts of methane.

06/17/2026

Why do old oil wells keep blowing out, and what happens when another well poses a more direct threat to a school or a home? We need stronger protections around wastewater to prevent further expensive and dangerous damage to our communities.

Read the full article: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11062026/texas-oil-well-leaks-million-of-gallons-of-toxic-wastewater/

06/13/2026

Thank you to the Texas Tribune for reporting on the TCEQ's ongoing rulemaking relating to oil and gas produced water (AKA "fracking water") treatment requirements. The public comment period for the rulemaking has an extremely short turnaround, and the rules as written do not sufficiently protect our communities or our environment.

Sign on to our letter to urge the TCEQ to extend the comment period and to strengthen wastewater rules. We need higher standards to protect our public health.

https://secure.everyaction.com/_5DceZiMt0262Xd9XunzDg2

06/12/2026

Pop quiz time! We know school's out for the summer, but education on venting and flaring is still as important as ever.

The venting and flaring processes release pollutants that all have their own impacts on our communities and our health. But you can advocate for and protect your community by making public comments to your elected officials and staying informed using TexasFlaringProject.org.

Do you have any questions for us about flaring? Let us know in the comments!

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

Nice to see an oil and gas CEO held accountable.

Sarah Stogner, Reeves County district attorney, said her team investigated the case involving more than $1.2 million in stolen services.

06/08/2026

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is currently setting the rules for oil and gas produced water treatment requirements. We've put together a letter urging the TCEQ to extend the comment period beyond just one week and to strengthen wastewater rules so they protect public health.

Commission Shift's recommendations include:

🎤 Create a robust protest system for affected communities and provide ample public notice.
🏥 Establish clear, mandatory health-protective limits instead of case-by-case regulatory discretion.
⚠️ Place explicit caps on known toxins, ensuring water is fully treated to safe standards.
✍️ Conduct mandatory, 24/7 monitoring to ensure compliance at all times, not just scheduled checks.
🧪 Establish mandatory third-party testing to verify industry self-reporting.
📖 Allow full public access to testing data with no "proprietary information" loopholes.
🌽 Require baseline soil and crop testing to track and intercept toxic buildup in our food chain.

Sign on to our letter today: https://secure.everyaction.com/_5DceZiMt0262Xd9XunzDg2

06/06/2026

The RRC doesn’t have enough money to plug orphaned wells. They don’t know how to ask the Legislature for more funding, but this poses a serious cost to landowners.

06/06/2026

Texas has over 12,000 orphaned wells on its list. The RRC, our state oil and gas agency, has an uphill battle to get them all plugged given the lack of available funding.

06/05/2026

After decades of ignored community complaints and requests to the Railroad Commission to address this sinkhole in Kelton Ranch, heavy rains last week caused it to overflow and cover the surrounding land in a mile-long oil slick.

“The story of this sinkhole is a cautionary tale. We can keep small problems from growing into big expensive disasters by plugging these holes quickly.” — Commission Shift’s Julie Range

🎥: Sarah Stogner
🎤: Virginia Palacios at the Railroad Commission Open Meeting, June 5