The Railroad Commission of Texas assessed $3,129,400 in enforcement fines against oil and gas operators and other businesses during the commissioners’ open meeting Tuesday, the agency said in an Aug. 21 news release.
The Commission has primary oversight and enforcement authority over the state’s oil and gas industry and intrastate pipeline safety, according to the release. Enforcement dockets are taken up at the commissioners’ regular open meetings, where penalties are assessed against operators found out of compliance with state rules.
Of the August total, $1,020,109 was assessed through master default orders, which the agency said cover operators that failed to appear at Commission enforcement proceedings. The remaining $2,109,291 came through master agreed orders, in which operators were ordered to come into compliance with Commission rules.
The agency said master default orders are posted on the RRC Hearings Division web page and master agreed orders on the RRC General Counsel web page. In the absence of timely motions for rehearing, the decisions are final as stated in the final orders, according to the release.
Established in 1891, the Railroad Commission is the oldest regulatory agency in Texas and has regulated the oil and gas industry for more than a century. Beyond oil and gas production, the agency said its jurisdiction covers alternative fuels safety, natural gas utilities, surface mining and intrastate pipelines.