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A new rule aimed at protecting water supplies has been passed by the Texas Railroad Commission, but it could end up hurting our oil and gas industries. The rule was passed despite pushback from oil and gas operators, as well as conservatives.
Speaking after the vote, Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian said, "For those that might have complaints, and I'm sure there are many, I'll remind you that there are few things that are perfect this side of eternity."
He openly admitted that the new rules had issues, saying, "There are problems here. There always are. That's why we're still here; that's why we have elections every few years."
Opponents of the new rules, which focus on waste management, say that they'll simply lead to new roadblocks and more hoops for the oil industry to jump through. They claim that these new rules won't actually do much to protect freshwater.
There are also concerns that the added costs of these new rules will hamper growth and become an obstacle for President-elect Trump's "Drill-Baby-Drill" agenda.
Commissioner Jim Wright believes that those concerns have all been taken into consideration during the rulemaking process, saying before the vote that, "There was significant time, attention, and participation by multiple stakeholder groups, and the general public. Over the course of this endeavor, the commissioner received hundreds of public comments, which were all reviewed."