Embarrassing! Almost as bad as welcoming Gene Kelly to the Senate race.
From PoliTex a Star-Telegram blog
Misinformed Texas Railroad Commission candidate?
If there’s one major state agency that’s little understood by the public, it’s the Railroad Commission of Texas. Despite its name, the agency has nothing to do with railroads. Instead, it regulates the oil and gas industry, and has authority over residential gas bills. It turned over its last bit of authority over Texas railroads to the state’s transportation commission in October, 2005, according to Railroad Commission spokeswoman Ramona Nye. “It is correct to say the Railroad Commission has nothing to do with railroads,” she said.
But that hasn’t stopped one Democratic hopeful from campaigning on the issue. On his website, Railroad Commission candidate Art Hall lists “railroad safety” as one of the “issues important to the Railroad Commission of Texas.”
“Rail derailment is a major issue in Texas,” the website notes. “In the San Antonio area alone, there have been several derailments in the past few years which have threatened the lives and property of Texas citizens. We must do a better job of ensuring the safety of our families and children.”
Hall, 37, claims a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Texas Tech. He is a former city councilman in San Antonio. When asked Wednesday about the erroneous website reference, Hall said that he had been made aware that the commission no longer has authority over railroads, and that he plans to take the reference down off his website.
“We need to change that,” he said.
Mark Thompson, another Democratic candidate for Railroad Commission, has said the Texas Legislature should change the agency’s name because the public has so many misconceptions about it. The third candidate for the Democratic nomination is Dale Henry, 76, a retired chemical engineer from Lampasas.
Railroad Commissioner is nothing but a spring board to Hall. It’s just a step in his political career.
Now Salon has picked it up: Bwahahahah! Art Hall, Running for Texas Railroad Commission, Lists *Railroad Safety* as issue
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About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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True the RRC has nothing to do with railroads–but the word “Railroad” is not in it’s name by accident. It has a way of running over the ordinary citizen and exhibits overzelous protection of the O&G industry to the exclusion of public interest!