If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support ithere. In Texas, voters will elect officials for seven statewide seats governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner, comptroller and one of three seats on the Railroad Commission. Stogner, he argued, will over-regulate the oil and gas industry. I have concern for my grandkids, I believe the good Lord has given us oil gas, and coal as the greatest resource and made Texas the number one supplier of that in history. What is the least-visited state park in Texas? Texas Statewide Candidates 2022. ( NewsNation) Railroad workers have been sounding the alarm for years over railway safety concerns, and a string of recent train derailments have brought these issues into the spotlight. As your Railroad Commissioner, I bring a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the Bitcoin Energy revolution to educate other oil and gas experts so that Texas becomes the world's leader in cheap and plentiful energy production maximizing our use of existing fields and wells in our great state!I will focus on adopting smart energy-strong policies while maintaining a stable job creation . Published March 1, 2022. He added, My opponents are mudslinging out of desperation because I am the only candidate in this race with the endorsements, campaign infrastructure, and resources necessary to win this race.. With just over 70 percent of the results in, the Democratic bid for the open seat in Texas competitive 15th District appears destined for a runoff. Top Three Internal Priorities: 1) Continue to modernize agency to increase efficiencies, speed up permitting, and decrease. And weve been given the moral, I think duty to oversee the proper use of that oil, gas, and coal. Although there are four candidates, the race has been focused on Christian and Warford. Its daily. None of that is necessarily illegal, but Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson didnt mince words when he wrote this week that Christian demonstrated what at best is a profound disregard for ethics, and at worst, engaged in public corruption. Christian told Texas Monthly via email that the Railroad Commissions general counsel advised him to approve the permit as long as the facility used a modern clay liner, which it did. Policy-wise, Warford supports renaming the commission so it makes sense to voters, creating a natural gas market monitor to guard against price gouging, increasing the weatherization of gas infrastructure, and reducing greenhouse gas and other emissions from Texas fossil fuel operations. Fleeing for Your Life? Its free. Lawmakers havent seemed interested, so Christian said he instead helped spur the agency to change its logo, which now has Leading Texas energy and listing oil and gas, coal and pipelines beneath larger RRC letters. We have radiation in our water. Hommel, walking between tables in the audience, seemed impressed. I kind of re-energize campaigns that are now kind of tired.. Incumbent Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian (the one accused of corruption) failed to fend off a runoff election. 2:28 PM on Feb 17, 2022 CST. Targeting transgender people to rally conservatives is a Texas tradition since a 2015 bathroom bill in Houston. And we see that across the board.. The two main contenders in this year's race for commissioner are incumbent Republican Wayne Christian and Democrat Luke Warford. Texas primaries 2022: Key dates. This is how Im going to communicate to the masses about whats happening out here, because people are visual.. I started doing a little digging and was like, wow, this is great, she told the outlet. It was a Hail Mary to energize her campaign. Cheers broke out for the first time at Jessica Cisneros watch party, as the large screens flashed results showing her with her just above 50 percent in the 28th Congressional District. George P. Bush appears to be opening up a lead over Eva Guzman in the attorney generals race. Devan Markham. Feb. 23, 202212 PM Central. Democrat Luke Warford is challenging incumbent Wayne Christian for his seat. 2022. And right now, Texas oil and gas has a reputation as not being particularly clean, because the Texas Railroad Commission doesnt enforce the rules, doesnt hold that actors accountable.. More than a year after the winter freeze, the Railroad Commission hasnt crafted rules for how oil and gas companies should prepare for extreme weather. Its amazing how many people have no clue what a railroad commissioner does, Scott Hommel, chair of the Republican Party of Lamar County, told the audience. This vitally important election of one of the states top energy regulators will have a significant impact on whether Texass natural gas infrastructure freezes up again and contributes to widespread blackouts, as it did a year ago. The crew, in town to film a documentary about an unplugged oil well spewing contaminated fluids, was sharing beers with Stogner when one of the videographers said they always wanted to do an artistic photo shoot on a pumpjack, Stogner recalled. Railroad Commissioner Runoff: Texas Primary Results (R) 8:51 PM EDT, Thu October 13, 2022 CNN projects Wayne Christian will be the Republican nominee for Texas railroad. Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke hosts a rally at Fair Park in Dallas after announcing his campaign, on Nov. 21, 2021. Earlier in the day, Greg Casar was praying for a 50-percent-plus-one win. Bring on the Shiplap. Christian was up first and talked about how Texas has exported liquified natural gas to help Europe during its energy crisis following Russias invasion of Ukraine, the importance of oil and gas to the nations economy and how Democrats are trying to abolish the industry in the name of slowing climate change. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In Texas a candidate must have more than 50% of the total votes or the race will go to a runoff between the top two candidates. The election was nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations did not appear on the ballot. I want to talk about groundwater. Feb. 14 First day of early voting for the primaries. Railroad Commissioner (Rep) . When he ran for the Senate four years ago, Democrat Beto ORourke won just 61 percent in the primary. Tipton, 41, has also leaned on his oil and gas experience and is running on a platform of being a clear and competent communicator to lead the Railroad Commission. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. Updated: Mar 2, 2023 / 11:20 AM CST. It is bull crap that were a year in and there has been no major progress on winterization, he told me. What are we angry about? By Mose Buchele, KUTNovember 3, 202210:33 amGovernment & Politics, KUT. AUSTIN (Nexstar) Starting Monday when early voting kicks off, Texans will choose who they want as the states next railroad commissioner a race that typically doesnt garner much attention for an office that has nothing to do with railroads and everything to do with oil and gas regulation. Despite the misleading name, theRailroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is the primary state agency responsible for regulating Texas oil and gas industry. Its how voters feel about that statement, as much as issues of the blackout and global warming, that may decide the race for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission. Well, hes a career politician and shes got some good ideas, Gaines said. Stogner told the paper she decided to release the video because the risk seemed worth it as a University of Houston poll showed her only a few points behind Christian, who has been bankrolled by oil and gas interests. Providence. The Timess election results pages are produced by Michael Andre, Crystal Arroyo, Aliza Aufrichtig, Matthew Bloch, Andrew Chavez, Nate Cohn, Alastair Coote, Annie Daniel, Tiffany Fehr, Will Houp, Josh Katz, Aaron Krolik, Jasmine C. Lee, Rebecca Lieberman, Bea Malsky, Jaymin Patel, Rachel Shorey, Charlie Smart, Umi Syam, Urvashi Uberoy and Isaac White. Railroad Commissioner: x-$3,750 -5000: Justice, Supreme Court g: x-$3,750 -5000: The chart below shows the historical percentage of voters who have pledged to vote for each candidate in the 2022 Texas Railroad Commissionerelection. In Hidalgo County, on the border with Mexico, he won just 50 percent. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. In order to manage the Texas economy, they want to help and nurture a healthy petroleum industry., I dont think Wayne Christian and the current Railroad commissioners are supporting the industry as a whole, Warford says. Umm, its tough, Hommel said. iSideWith.com is the worlds most popular voting guide for citizens to find information about elections, political parties, candidates, voting districts and popular political issues in their country. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Texas mom stabs her five children, killing three: cops, Texas ranch of late oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens sells after $80M price cut, Severe weather outbreak produces hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, Cops quit woke Austin in droves, plunging city into crisis: If youre conservative, its a hostile place. I have no personal financial ties to the oil and gas industry.. The Railroad Commission of Texas Look Back at a Year of Achievements and Growth for the RRC in 2022 Year in Review Publication Christi Craddick Chairman Wayne Christian Commissioner Jim Wright Commissioner Recent Announcement RRC Online General Maintenance Sunday February 24, 2023 Read More Announcements Railroad Commission of Texas The two main contenders in this year's race for commissioner are incumbent Republican Wayne Christian and Democrat Luke Warford. Tipton has won the support of the editorial boards of most of the states major papers, including the Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News. The incumbent calls himself a proven conservative fighter and pledges to not bend the knee to extremist special interest groups who want to halt the production of oil and gas. Stogner says that as a regulator she would 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. Finally, theres Democrat Warford, who talks a lot about the failure of the power grid and the role of natural gaswhich the Railroad Commission regulates. The Railroad Commission staff recommended against the proposal, but Christian voted in favor of it. Voter Data is deleted after every. Incumbent mayor Steve Adler was term-limited and could not run for re-election. This will be hilarious. Railroad Commission candidates offer opposing visions of what will make oil and gas industry 'healthy' | KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station Stogner released the five-second video on Super Bowl Sunday in a tweet with the caption: They said I needed money. We dont know who asked to comply, we have no assurances that they actually have complied. Texas Railroad Commissioner Republican primary Republican primary runoff Election details Filing deadline: December 13, 2021 Primary: March 1, 2022 Primary runoff: May 24, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent (s): Wayne Christian (Republican) How to vote Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Texas Ballotpedia analysis Primary elections were held on March 1, with runoffs held on May 24 for primary candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote. Christian was the top choice of 9% of registered voters in that poll, with the other candidates receiving between 3% and 5%. Those issues include: the Texas blackout last year (caused in large part by problems along the natural gas supply chain that the commission regulates); the role big industry donations play in Railroad Commission policy decisions; the current high price of natural gas; and the routine practice of gas flaring in the Texas oil fields, which wastes . He was driving a Cadillac Escalade that hit the rear of a tanker truck. In 2002, Stogner graduated from Huntsville High School in Alabama. The San Antonio Express-News had previously endorsed Stogner, writing that she offers the vision, energy, and tenacity to make real changes at the RRC. But the newspaper withdrew its endorsement on Tuesday, in the wake of her post. v. t. e. The 2022 Florida Chief Financial Officer election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Chief Financial Officer of Florida. 2022 Texas Elections, Candidates, Races and Voting, Book Your Fall or Winter Vacation Now and Save! Christian said the state Legislature, not the Railroad Commission itself, has the authority to change the agencys name. Joe Gaines, an oil and gas businessman, attended the event and said he wanted to see if it could help him make up his mind about who to support in the May 24 election. During the course of the debate, local Republicans would ask the candidates incumbent Railroad Commission Chair Wayne Christian, a 71-year-old former state representative and Grammy-nominated gospel singer, and challenger 37-year-old oil and gas lawyer Sarah Stogner what the state has done to improve the states power grid after last years deadly winter storm, what they plan to do about the practice of burning off natural gas through flaring and how strictly the state should regulate the oil and gas industry. The Democrat has a background working in energy consulting and policy. 2022 Texas Elections, Candidates, Races and Voting. In the general election, state representative Celia Israel and former . Attention toward the railroad commissioner race shifted during the Republican primaries when oil and gas attorney Sarah Stogner pushed Christian into a runoff after she went viral for a campaign ad of her riding a pumpjack nearly naked. Christian: The Railroad Commission does not regulate electricity, but the best way to ensure reliable energy is to build out more natural gas generation facilities. Candidate information comes from Texas Secretary of State data, the candidates and other sources. The oldest state regulatory agency, in charge of how oil and gas are produced and transported, doesnt typically attract much attention at election time. I feel like Im using my platform well, she told KUT after giving remarks to the group of residents, activists and Democratic politicians. This election is literally one that will have life-and-death consequences. All rights reserved. Texans will choose between four candidates: Republican incumbent Wayne Christian, Democratic nominee Luke Warford and two third-party candidates Libertarian Jaime Andres Diez and Hunter Wayne Crow of the Green Party. Zapata flipped to Donald Trump in 2020. 2021 Texas Standard. for a place on the ballot with the county or state party chair, as appropriate (see chart). (Section 172.022, Texas Election Code). Tickets are on sale now for the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, happening in downtown Austin on Sept. 22-24. Then she pivoted to the 2021 winter storm that left millions without power for days and caused hundreds of deaths after a combination of freezing temperatures across the state and skyrocketing demand for energy shut down power plants as well as the natural gas facilities that supply them with fuel. There is no office that is more corrupt than the Texas Railroad Commission, Warford says. The primary will take place on May 24, with the general . David Prindle, a political science professor at UT Austin who wrote a book on the Railroad Commission, says thats a position commissioners have held basically since the start of the Texas oil industry. Im finding that there are these offices that wield tremendous power when it comes to the climate, she said with a little chuckle, like the Railroad Commission..