Commission Shift

Commission Shift Commission Shift is working to reform oil and gas oversight in Texas.

Commission Shift focuses on holding the Railroad Commission of Texas accountable in a shifting energy landscape, since -- despite its name -- the Railroad Commission oversees the oil and gas industry.
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With people across our state dealing with the impacts of the oil and gas industry, Commission Shift will bring together Texans to spur changes at the Railroad Commission to improve the agency’s fu

nction, transparency, and accountability.
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We value the dedicated staff at the Railroad Commission and look forward to engaging with them thoughtfully to address our state’s needs.
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The leaders of Commission Shift bring decades of experience as researchers and Texas landowners. Financial support for Commission Shift comes from a broad range of institutional and individual donors who are aligned with the mission.

Happy Labor Day! We are especially grateful to oil and gas workers, farmers and ranchers, and the many others affected b...
09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day! We are especially grateful to oil and gas workers, farmers and ranchers, and the many others affected by the oil and gas industry in Texas who deserve stability, safety, clean air, and clean water.

09/04/2026

The RRC already had limited opportunities for Texans to speak to them directly. Now they’ve effectively removed public input altogether, at least from their monthly open meetings — without allowing us to review their new policy.

What happens when our elected officials don’t even listen to those who elected them?

09/03/2026

We no longer have a guaranteed opportunity to talk to the RRC, our state oil and gas agency, as of their August Open Meeting. Commission Shift’s Virginia Palacios highlights why our three elected commissioners “cannot possibly represent” us without public input.

08/31/2026

At the August open meeting of the Railroad Commission, landowner Schuyler Wight spoke about the importance of allowing landowners to be more involved in the decisions the RRC makes on their behalf.

08/28/2026

Christi Craddick, the new chairman of the , has close ties to the oil and gas industry she oversees — and we found several instances of her personal financial connections related to companies doing business with her agency.

Read more about these cases: https://commissionshift.org/news/captive-agency/

A massive fire is spreading across North Texas in Palo Pinto and Jack counties. Although the cause of the fire has not b...
08/28/2026

A massive fire is spreading across North Texas in Palo Pinto and Jack counties. Although the cause of the fire has not been determined yet, Palo Pinto County has 344 orphaned wells and Jack County has 185. Palo Pinto ranks 6th highest for orphaned well counts as of July 22, 2026.

Read more via the Texas Tribune:

Over three days the fire has grown to more than 80,000 acres in Palo Pinto and Jack counties and is 12% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. No injuries have been reported.

Our next installment of Community Connect: Shifting the Commission is coming up! Orphaned and leaking wells are an epide...
08/27/2026

Our next installment of Community Connect: Shifting the Commission is coming up!

Orphaned and leaking wells are an epidemic in Texas and beyond — and many start as inactive wells. Even though the issue has been identified for years, the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Texas Legislature, and the federal government have only recently taken the problem seriously.

At this meeting, we'll watch "Zombie Wells: The Threat Beneath" and discuss what next steps we can take at the Railroad Commission and beyond to protect our communities and our health.

RSVP today: https://secure.everyaction.com/eBbd4SSZvE-kd3SOvys4rQ2

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Laredo, TX

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