The Railroad Commission of Texas has partnered with Texas Tech University’s Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering to launch the RRC Field Inspector Training program, a new initiative aimed at strengthening the professional development of the commission’s oil and gas inspectors. The agency announced the program July 28.
The first class of inspectors attended a four-day course held July 27-30 at the university’s Oilfield Technology Center in Lubbock, following nearly a year of development and coordination, the commission said. The agency described the program as a major advancement because it eliminates the need for inspectors to travel out of state for the specialized training, bringing it to Texas for the first time.
The center features a dedicated classroom, a shop equipped with oil and gas equipment cutaways and models, and an outdoor training space with production facilities, a pumping unit, gas compressors and a drilling rig. According to the commission, the course gives new and early-career inspectors demonstrations on a range of equipment, including the center’s fully functional drilling rig, along with sessions covering key stages of a well’s lifecycle such as cementing, blowout prevention and well plugging.
“This training program further strengthens our field inspectors by providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to perform their jobs at the highest level,” said Wei Wang, executive director of the RRC. “Partnerships among Texas institutions are critical to advancing the work we do and serving the people of our state. We are proud to partner with Texas Tech to enhance inspector training and help ensure the continued protection of Texas’ natural resources and communities.”
Commission leadership traveled from Austin to observe the inaugural course and heard from Marshall Watson, chair of the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering. “This partnership represents a meaningful step forward in how we connect education, industry and regulation,” Watson said. “By providing hands-on training in a realistic environment, we’re helping inspectors build the skills they need to ensure safe and efficient energy operations across Texas.”
The commission said the course is tailored specifically to oil and gas inspectors and that its training development staff is now crafting a similar course for inspectors in the agency’s Critical Infrastructure Division.