Audit Exposes Railroad Commission Incompetence

I'm beginning to wonder if there's any state agency in Texas that displays even a minimal level of competence. There doesn't seem to be one. The latest agency exposed is the Railroad Commission.

The Railroad Commission is the agency responsible for inspecting the state's thousands of oil and gas wells. A recent audit shows serious problems. At least 46% of the oil and gas leases in Texas have not been inspected for at least 5 years. That's nearly half of the 169,000 wells in the state that could have been polluting our environment for years and no one would know, because they haven't been inspected to see if they are complying with the law.

Another problem is that of the wells that have supposedly been inspected, managers are just taking the inspectors word on it. None of them have been spot-checked by managers to see that the inspectors are doing an adequate job. We just have to take it on faith that the job is really being done.

The audit report also says, "In the three districts visited, employees reported that they accept meals, caps, gift baskets and other small gifts from oil and gas operators that they regulate. While this may not violate the Commission's policies, any acceptance of gifts by district employees from industry may create a public perception that the employee is not objective."

Of course it creates that perception. How can you be totally objective after accepting even small gifts. In response to the audit, the Commission says it will mandate that the gifts cannot exceed $50. That is not good enough. Why should they be accepting any gifts at all? There is no reason why a state employee should accept even a small gift from someone they are being paid to regulate.

We can now see that the Railroad Commission is the same as other Republican-dominated state agencies. They are either incompetent or they've sold out to the corporations.

The Commission is supposed to be protecting Texans. But how can that be when they are not inspecting half of the wells, not checking any of the inspections done on the other half, and allowing their employees to accept gifts from those they are paid to inspect.

Is there any end to Republican incompetence and corruption?