Ukraine war means uncertainty for Texas oil industry. This candidate for regulator can help
Despite its odd title, the Texas Railroad Commission is all about regulating the oil and gas industry. Given 2021’s Snowmageddon’s power grid failure and a possible energy crisis due to a scorching summer, the commission could use a disruptor to the old ways of doing business.
Oil and gas attorney Sarah Stogner, 37, of Ward County in West Texas is the kind of candidate who could bring needed change — with a few caveats.
First, she might be able to win over enough voters to beat the incumbent, businessman Wayne Christian, 70, in the Republican runoff. The winter fiasco taught us a lot about how the commission, like the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, handled the power grid failures. Neither were proactive enough.
Christian is too much status quo at an agency that needs a shake-up. As with most commissioners, Christian’s campaigns are heavily funded by the industry he regulates. He faced criticism for voting to approve a permit for an oil field waste dump facility and days later accepting a $100,000 campaign donation from the company.
It’s time for a fresh perspective.
Stogner is an unconventional candidate — she made national news when she posed mostly naked atop an oil pump jack on TikTok. It was an embarrassing stunt by an inexperienced candidate trying to get attention. It doesn’t disqualify her for office, but we hope the next time we see her near an oil pump, she’s clothed.
Stogner can help the state if she leans on her experience as an oil and gas attorney and works to win over colleagues.
Employing more than 800 people with a budget of $144 million, the Railroad Commission is the state’s oldest regulatory agency. It’s governed by three board members, all Republicans, who serve staggered four-year terms.
Energy is Texas’ most vital resource: With the war in Ukraine and gas prices skyrocketing, the commission needs to help Texas companies harness more oil and gas while still protecting the environment.
During the March primary, Christian secured 47% of the votes and Stogner received 15%. Whoever wins May 24 will face off against Democrat Luke Warford in November. Early voting runs May 16-20.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
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How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.