Texas railroad commissioner candidates in Republican primary March 1
Wayne Christian
Occupation: Chairman, Railroad Commission of Texas
Age: 71
Campaign website: ChristianForTexas.com
Best way for voters to reach you: Wayne@ChristianForTexas.com
Education: BBA Business - Stephen F Austin University
Have you run for or held elected office before? Current - Railroad Commissioner; Previous - State Representative
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held): Throughout the 90’s I was heavily involved as a conservative activist fighting back against Ann Richards and the leftist policies she was pushing at our state capitol. In 1996, I was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as the first Republican elected from Deep East Texas since Reconstruction after the Civil War. During my time in the House, I played a key role in electing a Republican majority to the Texas Legislature and kickstarting the conservative renaissance in the State of Texas. As state representative, I served as the President of the Texas Conservative Coalition and earned a reputation as one of the most conservative, liberty-minded elected officials in the State of Texas with A-Ratings from conservative watchdog and business organizations. In 2010, I served as Chairman of the Platform Committee at the Republican Party of Texas convention and passed the first Legislative Priorities to the platform. In 2016, I was elected as our state’s 50th Railroad Commissioner.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain. No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain. No
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Texas Oil and Gas Association PAC, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers PAC, Darwin Deason
Why are you seeking this office? I am running for re-election because we have more work to do. I want to continue fighting back against federal overreach, I want to continue to cut red tape by modernizing the agency and reducing regulations, and I want to continue to fight to eliminate subsidies to make our grid more reliable. I am the best candidate because I am a proven conservative with five years of on-the-job training as a commissioner, with two terms serving as chairman of the commission. It is a rare honor for a commissioner to be elected by their peers twice in one term to serve as Chairman. In addition to my duties on the Commission, I was also appointed by Governor Abbott to serve as the Official Representative of Texas to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC). In this role, I work with my counterparts in other states to fight for state rights and have authored/passed resolutions against the Green New Deal, Clean Future Act, and other anti-oil and gas initiatives by the Biden Administration.
What qualities make for a good railroad commissioner and how do you embody them? I am the only proven conservative fighter and experienced regulator in the race. A good Railroad Commissioner understands their job is to advocate for the citizens of Texas to ensure they have access to reliable, affordable energy. A good Railroad Commissioner fights to ensure government is not getting in the way of businesses creating jobs and economic growth. A good Railroad Commissioner makes sure the public is protected from bad actors but does not bend the knee to extremist special interest groups who want to halt the production of oil and gas.
What would be your top three priorities as railroad commissioner? Top Three Internal Priorities: 1) Continue to modernize agency to increase efficiencies, speed up permitting, and decrease costs 2) Continue to work with operators to identify regulatory issues and red tape to cut 3) Fight back against federal overreach
Top Three External Priorities: 1) Continue to travel the state speaking truth to fight back against radical leftist that are telling the public oil and gas is going to end the world 2) Continue advocating to the legislature and congress to eliminate all subsidies for energy and let the free market decide the future of energy 3) Fight back against the ESG movement which seeks to distort free markets to cut off financing for the oil and gas industry
How would you assess the state’s response to Winter Storm Uri? Has Texas done enough to avoid outages like what we saw in February 2021 going forward? An obsessive focus on reaching the unattainable goal of carbon-zero caused decades of poor policy decisions that prioritized and subsidized unreliable energy sources (wind and solar) at the expense of reliable sources (natural gas, coal, and nuclear). Natural gas power plants are penalized if they fail to generate the power they promised to. Wind and solar are not similarly penalized. Wind and solar can sell their power at negative prices and still make a profit because of generous tax credits from the government. When looking at federal taxpayer subsidies per unit of electricity generated between 2010 and 2019, oil and natural gas received 39 cents for every $82.46 solar received and every $18.86 wind received.This harms any incentives for a company to build new natural gas generation plants. We must ensure our oil and gas assets are prepared for emergencies, but we must also ensure we are prioritizing energy generation from reliable sources, like natural gas and nuclear.
Most of Texas is on its own electric grid. Should Texas stay on its own power grid? Instead of seeking solutions that increase reliable generation, many on the left have suggested the answer lies in connecting Texas’ independent electricity grid with the rest of the nation. As someone who lives in East Texas, one of the few parts of the state not served by ERCOT, I can tell you first- hand this wouldn’t have prevented the blackouts—we lost power too. As stated by Loren Steffy in Texas Monthly: “Having a grid that could have drawn more power from other states would have done little to ease the crisis. With most of the country also facing bitterly cold temperatures, the rest of the U.S. wouldn’t have had much to spare anyway.”
Should the Railroad Commission take additional steps to communicate with Texans in emergency situations, like Winter Storm Uri? Yes. Communicating with the public is vital to ensure our constituents have the information they need in emergency situations.
Should the name of the Railroad Commission change to better reflect its duties in the state? Railroad Commissioners do not have the ability to change the name of the agency, it must be done at the state capitol.
What can the Railroad Commission do to address rising gas prices in the state? As Governor Greg Abbott’s appointee to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, I have authored and passed multiple resolutions fighting back against federal overreach like the Green New Deal. If we want to lower the cost of natural gas or gasoline for consumers, we must increase domestic production. In order to increase domestic production, the private sector must have confidence that the regulatory environment with be consistent and predictable. The Railroad Commission prides itself in regulating this way, but the Biden Administration is constantly messaging the transition away from fossil fuels - why would companies expand operations, if they feel the government could step in and shut them down.
Dawayne Tipton
Occupation: Project Manager
Age: 41
Campaign website: https://tiptonfortexas.com
Best way for voters to reach you: tiptonfortexas@gmail.com or Twitter @Tipton4Texas
Education: BS-Engineering, University of Central Arkansas
Have you run for or held elected office before? No
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held): Active member of Bell County Republicans- attend meetings
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain. no
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain. no
Who are your top three campaign contributors? grassroots
Why are you seeking this office? It’s time Texas has a Railroad Commissioner with true oil and gas experience, who will put Texas families first. Someone who understands the industry top to bottom, and can provide common sense solutions to Texas energy.
I want to keep the oil and gas industry vibrant, prosperous and independent of job-killing regulations, so those same opportunities I was afforded, still exist for future generations.
I want to ensure and enforce weatherization of critical infrastructure so Texas is ready for extreme winter conditions.
I also want to enforce existing rules to hold bad operators accountable, protecting Texas property owners.
What qualities make for a good railroad commissioner and how do you embody them? It’s vital that a Railroad Commissioner has oil and gas experience so he or she has a true understanding of the industry in order to provide solutions. I have 18+ years of oil and gas experience ranges from floor hand on a drilling rig, to drilling operations worldwide, to risk engineer. I have worked on the front lines and know firsthand how the RRC’s policies affect the industry, from the boardroom to the guys on the rig.
I’ve never had anything handed to me- I’ve had to work hard for everything I have. I don’t have businesses that can profit from seeking this office; I don’t have higher political aspirations. I’m just a normal guy with the skills and experience who wants to put Texas families first.
What would be your top three priorities as railroad commissioner? First, enforce weatherization of critical infrastructure so facilities and pipelines are ready for winter. Current infrastructure equipment needs to be in working order and updated when necessary. Hold critical infrastructure designees accountable and make exemption requests harder to get.
Second, overhaul of the inspection and enforcement arm. Improve training, compile and utilize data to ensure inspectors tend to critical issues. Hold town halls so property owners know they can go to the RRC for issues.
Third, plug abandoned wells using laid off Texas oil and gas workers. Hold the few bad faith operators accountable for plugging their inoperable wells.
How would you assess the state’s response to Winter Storm Uri? Has Texas done enough to avoid outages like what we saw in February 2021 going forward? The state failed Texans with respect to Winter Storm Uri. There were many different opportunities where the outages could’ve been mitigated. With respect to the RRC, facilities and pipelines should have been weatherized and winterized. At a minimum, the incumbent should have picked up the phone and implored ERCOT to not shed critical load for natural gas infrastructure critical to power generation.
The RRC keeps saying they’ve taken actions to prepare Texas for the next winter storm. Two concerning things are when we had the dip in temperatures about a month ago, we lost about 25% of our natural gas production. Texas still doesn’t have the critical path map for critical infrastructure and it’s not slated for completion until 2023. They also don’t have A lot of critical gas infrastructure listed as critical. The RRC needs to do more.
Most of Texas is on its own electric grid. Should Texas stay on its own power grid? The electrical grid is not within the purview of the RRC. Once the natural gas is turned into electricity, it falls under the purview of ERCOT and the PUC.
If you’re asking my personal opinion, I’d say I probably need to do additional research with consequences for joining the national grid. I do like how Texas is self sufficient, however, and would have been had the natural gas infrastructure been better prepared the way it should have been.
Should the Railroad Commission take additional steps to communicate with Texans in emergency situations, like Winter Storm Uri? Yes, transparency and accountability are cornerstones of my campaign.
Should the name of the Railroad Commission change to better reflect its duties in the state? There have been 5 or 6 attempts to do so, the name is a misnomer, but if I’m elected, that’s honestly not even the top 5 items of what I’d be focused on. I’m focused on improving the lives of Texans, putting Texas families first, protecting energy jobs.
What can the Railroad Commission do to address rising gas prices in the state? The RRC can encourage additional exploration and production of oil, which, hopefully, will meet the market threshold of where prices can be lowered. The key is you have to increase the supply in order to decrease the price. The Biden Administration’s restrictions of drilling and fracking on federal lands and offshore, and his removing of permits from key pipelines, has further made it difficult for the RRC to have a great effect in lowering the overall price of gas. If you vote for me, you’ll have someone who will fight for what’s best for Texas families and businesses alike.
Sarah Stogner
Occupation: oil & gas attorney
Age: 37
Campaign website: www.sarah4rrc.com
Best way for voters to reach you: sarah@sarah4rrc.com
Education: BS International Trade & Finance (LSU 2005), JD/BCL (LSU 2008)
Have you run for or held elected office before? Not elected political office. I’ve been elected to state bar leadership in Texas and Louisiana
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held): Member Republican Women: Ector & Midland Counties; Liberty Leadership with Texas Public Policy Foundation; State Bar of Texas Insurance Council (elected position); prior board member of LSBA Young Lawyers, prior board member Federal Bar Association (New Orleans chapter); prior board member Association of Energy Service Companies
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain. no
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain. 2006 - motor vehicle accident for fender bender
Who are your top three campaign contributors? I’m not accepting any campaign contributions
Why are you seeking this office? I am an oil and gas lawyer. This summer I moved onto a West Texas cattle ranch. A week after moving in a plugged oil well came unplugged – polluting the ranch’s surface and groundwater aquifers. I’m embarrassed by the operator and regulators’ responses. The last straw was when my H2S monitor alarmed of deadly gas while my daughter and I were walking the dogs on the other end of the ranch this summer. I had to pick her up and run in a moment of sheer terror. She still asks me “Mommy, when are they going to fix that well?” My answer to date has been “I don’t know, I’m doing my best.” I am honoring that promise to make sure bad operators are held accountable, and good operators are recognized so we can keep our oil and gas industry strong for future generations. If Wayne Christian won’t fix these issues I will.
What qualities make for a good railroad commissioner and how do you embody them? We need regulators with a working knowledge of the operational realities of exploring for and producing oil and gas. I’m an oil and gas lawyer with in the field experience. I’m supervisor well control certified, PEC safety, H2S training, NIMS ICS certified, TWIC card. I understand the legal issues and operational issues facing the energy sector. And will make sure the regulations are fairly applied to all operators.
What would be your top three priorities as railroad commissioner?
1. The grid: enforce the regulations that the RRC actually has the ability to control. They have jurisdiction over intrastate pipelines and gas processing facilities. Make sure those are winterized and properly maintained so the natural gas can get to the power plants that the other entities control.
2. Earthquakes: stop using freshwater for oil and gas operations; have comprehensive plan for the 20+ million barrels per day of water produced by oil and gas operations every day in this state. Get the bureaucrats out of the way so the subject matter experts can fix the issues.
3. Orphaned wells: we cannot let taxpayers pick up the tab for the thousands of abandoned wellsbores and associated oil and gas infrastructure. We need to hold bad operators accountable and incentivize good operators.
How would you assess the state’s response to Winter Storm Uri? Has Texas done enough to avoid outages like what we saw in February 2021 going forward? It was atrocious. And no - we haven’t done enough to avoid outages. We cannot let taxpayers pay for the costs to strengthen the grid. And we cannot let operators opt out of winterization efforts.
Most of Texas is on its own electric grid. Should Texas stay on its own power grid? I don’t know. I think Texas needs to be as energy independent as possible. As we continue to grow (adding approximately 1,000 new residents daily) we have to make sure we can handle the needs of our residents. If we’re able to do that with our own electric grid then I think we should stay independent. But not at the risk of future black outs, or the inability to sell our excess power across state lines.
Should the Railroad Commission take additional steps to communicate with Texans in emergency situations, like Winter Storm Uri? Yes. We do not have transparency - that’s part of the main issue. Operators and regulators have closed door meetings and the general public is left out of the conversation. This is unacceptable.
Should the name of the Railroad Commission change to better reflect its duties in the state? Yes - I believe the current claim that “it’s a waste of taxpayer money” is disingenuous. Instead, the current regulators have no incentive to change the name because they don’t want the general public to know that they actually regulate oil & gas, intrastate pipelines, and surface mining.
What can the Railroad Commission do to address rising gas prices in the state? We need to penalize natural gas producers that do not have reliable supply. Right now natural gas suppliers want there to be supply shortages, because this increases the prices. Instead, we should penalize those who cannot reliably provide power so there is an incentive for reliability and not just supply crunches.
Tom Slocum Jr.
Occupation: Engineering Consultant
Age: 38
Campaign website: slocumfortexas.com
Best way for voters to reach you: tom@slocumfortexas.com
Education: Texas A&M University, College Station Texas - Political Science, B.S.
Have you run for or held elected office before? No, I am a grassroots activist who has worked the elections and attended the convention as a delegate. I care about Texas, the land, the resources, our voters, and our taxpayer money. I want term limits for all elected officials.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
Republican primary elections and general elections as a poll worker. Delegate to the convention in 2016 to elect Donald Trump in Texas as the nominee. Worked to elect Senator Ted Cruz. Interned for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in her Houston office. Worked to elect Dan Crenshaw the first time.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: Never
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: Never
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Loretta Shumway, Ashley Watt, Christina Watt (Texas Cattle Ranchers)
Why are you seeking this office? To return real fiscal responsibility back to Austin and do a better job at fighting off the liberal democrats and their never-ending quest to destroy our oil and gas industry in Texas.
We also have make sure Texans never get stuck with another $3.4Billion dollar tax disguised as “securitization”. Unlike my opponent Wayne Chrisitian, I will not vote for a $3.4Billion dollar tax. I will tell Austin they must work within their budget. No more taxes. Texans are smart, we know a tax when we see one. Our natural gas bills are reflecting it and we will be paying for this bailout for at least the next 10 years.
We also must not make poor decisions when it comes to permitted oil and gas landfills. We should not be taking money from people who want to install them inside of the Sabine river valley that backs up to Toledo Bend. Texas is gigantic. We have plenty of great places for oilfield landfills. Putting one where we hunt and fish is not in Texans best interests.
What qualities make for a good railroad commissioner and how do you embody them? I have the moral standards and ethical standards, as well as real industry experience and training. I have not taken money from any oil producing operators in Texas. My big donors are ranchers who also make money in the oil and gas industry from the activity and want to keep it here for centuries to come, not decades. I will not put special interests ahead of Texans. I will hold myself to the highest level in regards to making sure there is never a conflict of interests in any decisions I am involved. I will bring true transparency to the Railroad Commission along with a responsible face and bold leadership to hold policy makers accountable for their actions. My work values of going the extra mile for Texans will come with me to the Railroad Commission office. I want to solve these problems and leave the Railroad Commission after my term is up. I do not want to become a bureaucratic seat-warmer like 90% of career politicians in Austin.
What would be your top three priorities as railroad commissioner? Eliminate the “Flared gas tax”, eliminate orphaned wells solving the liability issues and the orphaned well emissions issue, and push the legislature to institute statewide bonding requirements for windfarms (level the playing field in Texas for energy).
How would you assess the state’s response to Winter Storm Uri? Has Texas done enough to avoid outages like what we saw in February 2021 going forward? Texas has done some improvements, but not enough - there is still work to be done and we must make sure our ever-growing demand is met with the ever-growing supply. Only by conducting regular independent audits of the system will we know exactly where our energy production stands at any moment. We have to use technology to our advantage to keep closer tabs on the situation at hand. We must be better prepared for the next major weather or terrorism related event. Natural gas is the new baseload power, not nuclear or coal. Its the Texas Oil & Gas Industry that is charging these Teslas. They run on Texas natural gas. We have to provide Texas with the energy it requires, and on demand - when Texans need it most.
Most of Texas is on its own electric grid. Should Texas stay on its own power grid? Yes, Texas should stay on its own grid at all times. We should be the beacon of energy freedom for the entire world. We should never surrender that freedom to the Federal government and be reliant on people in D.C. who want to harm Texas and shut down our oil and gas industry.
Should the Railroad Commission take additional steps to communicate with Texans in emergency situations, like Winter Storm Uri? *
Yes. The Railroad Commission should know the exact status of the gas flow, where the critical points are, and be able to report how companies are performing so the public is adequately informed. The public cannot be left out of the cold when it comes to communication in a deadly weather event like Uri. Texans must be informed and hold these companies and elected officials accountable when they do not perform the task at hand properly. Failure is not an option.
Should the name of the Railroad Commission change to better reflect its duties in the state? Yes. It should be renamed. I am proud to work in oil and gas - especially being 5th generation Texan and 4th generation Texas oil and gas. My roots run deep. I don’t run from blowouts, I run towards them. I run to the problem and help people deliver the solution. I want to do the same at the Railroad Commission if elected. I want to solve the issues and be proud of our industry. It starts with the name.
What can the Railroad Commission do to address rising gas prices in the state? The Railroad Commission can work with the TECQ and the Feds to help bring more refineries to Texas as fast as possible while looking for ways to increase current refinery capacities. Flooding the market with fuel is the real answer to a long term problem of high fuel demand and short supply which contributes to high prices. We can also examine ways to reduce the state tax on fuel at the pump. By flooding the local market with fuel, we will enjoy much cheaper fuel at the pump, the cheapest by far in the nation. If we can reduce the fuel tax, it will deliver even more savings for consumers. Protecting our industry from liberal attacks on oilwell bonding and orphaned well environmental concerns will also go a long way to help Texans insure they have cheap fuel, and serve taxpayers well into the future, preparing ourselves for what is coming down the liberal D.C. pipeline. We have to start building the Ark now, before the flood. Prepare now. Not during the storm.
Marvin “Sarge” Summers
Summers died in car crash on Feb. 8.
