AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Railroad Commission voted 2-1 last week to remove guaranteed public comment from its monthly open meetings, changing a long-standing policy that allowed residents to address the three elected commissioners for up to three minutes.
Commissioners Wayne Christian and Jim Wright supported the new public participation policy, while Commissioner Christi Craddick opposed it.
Under the new policy, commissioners must request a public comment agenda item before a meeting. If no commissioner makes the request, the meeting will not include a guaranteed public comment period.
The policy also calls for more frequent listening sessions through the commission’s Office of Public Engagement. Residents can raise concerns and ask questions during the sessions, but the commissioners do not attend.
The commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry and holds monthly meetings in Austin where it votes on matters including pipeline violations and permit renewals. Residents from areas such as South Texas, the Permian Basin and the Gulf Coast regularly travel to Austin to address the commissioners. The commission does not accept public comment by phone during its monthly meetings.
Christian introduced the new policy Tuesday without circulating it publicly beforehand. The other commissioners appeared to review printed copies during the meeting before the vote. The commission did not read the policy into the record before voting.
Craddick said she opposed removing the regular public comment agenda item because residents should have an opportunity to address elected commissioners during open meetings.
“Some people have abused the issue,” Craddick said. “But I do believe some people want to talk to us as commissioners and as elected officials.”
Christian said the new policy would expand opportunities for Texans to engage with commission staff through listening sessions.
“These sessions provide a more meaningful forum where Texans can ask questions, raise concerns, and engage directly with agency staff,” Christian told Inside Climate News.
Railroad Commission spokesperson Bryce Dubee said the updated policy provides multiple ways for residents to submit comments and emphasizes outreach through the commission’s Office of Public Engagement.
Virginia Palacios, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog Commission Shift, registered to speak about the proposed policy but did not receive an opportunity to address the commissioners before they voted. She later raised the issue during the general comment period.
“You just approved an agenda item on public participation without allowing public participation,” Palacios said.
Craddick responded that public comments could not address matters that the commission had already posted and voted on.
Palacios later wrote that listening sessions should not replace open meetings because those meetings provide an opportunity for residents to address all three elected commissioners at the same time.
The policy change follows years of calls for greater transparency at the Railroad Commission. A 2016-17 review from the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission recommended changing the agency’s name to reduce confusion and increase transparency because the commission no longer regulates railroads.
The Legislature did not adopt the proposed name change following the Sunset review.
A staff member for Wright declined to comment, while Craddick’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
