"It seems obvious a name should reflect what the agency does," said Adrian Shelley, Texas director of the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen. "The agency is actively trying to stay out of the public eye. I do not think it's more complicated than that."
In 2011, a governor-appointed review board found that "the antiquated agency name does not reflect its current functions and confuses the public" and recommended changing the agency's name to the Texas Oil and Gas Commission.
The power of the Railroad Commission is vast. The three elected commissioners have primary authority over Texas' mammoth oil and gas industry, watching over natural gas utilities, coal and uranium mining, industrial waste pits, injection and waste disposal wells, and regulating nearly half a million miles of pipelines-yet not a single mile of railroad track.
Most Texas agencies are subject to periodic review by the Sunset Commission, which usually recommends reforms. These may—or may not—be included in reauthorization legislation.
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