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. We have to be educating people on what the oil and gas industry does, she said. The oil and gas industry and the Railroad Commission have a huge impact on Texans clean air and clean water and the environment.. 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. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Its name remains problematic, noted Sunset Advisory Commission staff in 2016, in recommending it be rechristened the Texas Energy Resources Commission. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. 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. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. The chart below shows the historical percentage of voters who have pledged to vote for each candidate in the 2022 Texas Railroad Commissionerelection. I am the only candidate with the endorsements, campaign infrastructure, and resources necessary to win this race.. The campaign for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, usually a low-profile affair, is getting more attentionand that's a good thing. Were for the good stuff!. RepublicanWayne Christian DemocraticLuke Warford LibertarianJamie Andres Diez GreenHunter Wayne Crow Latest 2022 Railroad Commissioner polls The vast majority of those polled, 74%, said they weren't sure who theyd vote for. If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support ithere. Are we angry that I looked good on a pumpjack?. Q: Your opponent Luke Warford has accused you of being corrupt due to campaign contributions you have received from the oil and gas industry. And guess what finally worked? If the incumbent had been more proactive when the event was actually happening and reached out to ERCOT and implored them not to shed that critical load, which compounded our power generation problems, we wouldnt have been in nearly as bad of a situation as we were, Tipton said. The Aransas County Elections & Voter Registration Building, . Vote 2022 Texas; . Though I will not be contesting the outcome of this election, I will not be going away, he said in a statement. Zapata flipped to Donald Trump in 2020. Subscribe with RSS; Powered by people like you. Texas Election Results: GOP candidates keep . She went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University, followed by a Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. The RRC also has oversight over Texas energy industries and enforces related state and federal laws. Compare the candidates policies, political views, popularity ratings, and latest public opinion polling. What is your response to his allegations against you? Texas Commissioner Of The General Land Office, Texas Commissioner Of Agriculture Race 2022, Judicial And Education Candidates Not Listed (Check Ballot Info), Texas Federal and Statewide Candidates 2022. Stogner homed in on Christians lack of oil and gas experience compared to her decade as an oil and gas lawyer and what she sees as Christians desire to do whatever the oil and gas industry wants. Q: Why did you decide to run for election? Irrespective of the length of the unexpired term of the appointee's predecessor, the appointee may . Stogner, he argued, will over-regulate the oil and gas industry. Stogner, who lives on a ranch in Monahans, west of Odessa, said Christian is a politician bought and controlled by donors. Since taking office, Commissioner Christian has been appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) as the Official Representative of Texas. 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. The following is a list of candidates running for office in the 2022 Texas Railroad Commissionerelection. We have jurisdiction over intrastate pipelines [that are completely within state borders], which is why you should ask why people died in the freeze, Stogner said. No. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us, A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, problems along the natural gas supply chain, Despite a ban on the practice, many churches use their pulpit to support or oppose political candidates, Republicans have historically embraced small-town Texas. What are we angry about? And weve been given the moral, I think duty to oversee the proper use of that oil, gas, and coal. Ben Rowen is a senior editor at Texas Monthly for News & Politics. (Christian did not respond to KUTs request for an interview.). For years. Now Shes Auctioning Off Her Archive. Another candidate, Dawayne Tipton, who is endorsed by all three of the states largest papers, said he doesnt fault Stogner. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. These are the most engaging discussions about this election. Like the other challengers, Stogner has criticized Christian for his lack of experience in the industries the Railroad Commission oversees. For Wayne Christian, the good stuff means fossil fuels. * Incumbent. And for them, its totally reasonable to require them to weatherize and thats where I would focus as a commissioner.. Sure, the Stogner post was clickbait. 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. Texas Railroad Commissioner Election Results 2022 - The New York Times Advertisement Senate House Uncalled House Races Top Races Governor Needle Ga. Senate Runoff Senator Raphael Warnock. And here we are, its working, she said, listing various news stories about her campaign since the video went public. May 11, 20225 AM Central. In 2002, Stogner graduated from Huntsville High School in Alabama. Courtesy / Four years after rocketing to national fame with a strong but ultimately failed effort to unseat Senator Ted Cruz, Beto ORourke will be the Democratic nominee for Texas governor. Comments. AUSTIN - As Texas voters head to the ballot box for the Primary Election, they will see several statewide races. We cant [produce oil and gas] at the cost of our groundwater, Stogner said. Published: Feb. 18, 2022 at 6:25 AM PST MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - The Permian Basin Association of Pipeliners held a panel for Republican candidates for Railroad Commissioner last night at. Incumbent Republican CFO Jimmy Patronis won re-election to a second term. Early voting lasts from Monday through Feb. 25, and election day is March 1. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Inside the Karaoke Bar Where Texas Lawmakers Serenade Each Other. On these committees, he had direct oversight of the Railroad Commission and accumulated a strong record of standing for free markets and against burdensome regulations. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. I didnt even know who she was until I saw the ad., Former Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton, who was upset in the 2020 Republican primary election after serving one term, said he thought Stogner was smart and had the technical and legal expertise required for the job, but her video probably dismissed any legitimate shot she had at winning the race.. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Sign Up for Daily News & Breaking News Newsletters, Sign up for Digging Deep: Inside KXAN Investigates newsletter. He was driving a Cadillac Escalade that hit the rear of a tanker truck. The two main contenders in this year's race for commissioner are incumbent Republican Wayne Christian and Democrat Luke Warford. Then he pledged to push the state GOP to change the agencys name: My voice will not be silenced in changing the name of the Railroad Commission, because people need to know what that is.. There are still a lot of votes out in rural counties, where Donald Trump performed well in 2020, but it's also worth noting that Senator Bernie Sanders did well in those counties during the Democratic presidential primary. Unicorns exist, so here I am Im not a politician, I accept no campaign contributions.. Texas Railroad Commissioner Primary Election Results Republican Primary Runoff Wayne Christian and Sarah Stogner have advanced to a runoff. Wayne Christian * (Republican) . Ethics: Since candidates for Railroad Commission often raise money. 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 . We expect candidates for public office to model civil discourse and decorum worthy of the publics trust. Show us with your support. 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. And the reason that that happened is because the Railroad Commission hadnt mapped out who the critical producers now the Railroad Commission was directed to create a supply chain map to try to address that problem. 2021 Texas Standard. 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. Hes a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer. MENU. A woman running for railroad commissioner in the Lone Star State has raised eyebrows over her racy campaign video in which she straddles an oil pump wearing little more than a cowboy hat and. But me scantily clad is where the line is drawn, she wrote on Facebook. And he thinks climate change is not real. Neither Christian nor a second GOP challenger, Tom Slocum, has responded to requests for comment by the Chronicle. He touts his experience in the oil patch and has attacked the Railroad Commission for failing to act quickly to ensure that natural gas pipelines and compressors are able to withstand cold weather. drew house revenue, cut and sew manufacturers low minimum los angeles,