Oct. 4 -- For more than three decades, National Energy Awareness Month has been celebrated in October to highlight the importance of the nation's energy resources and the need for the sustainable management of those resources.
Since the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels have made our modern world possible by producing nearly 80 percent of global energy. Produced hydrocarbons play a crucial role in our lives, from providing fuels for transportation, electricity and heating to manufacturing everyday consumer materials like plastics, medicine, medical devices, fabrics, fertilizers and other byproducts of oil refining, such as asphalt for roads, a news release from the Railroad Commission of Texas said.
As the regulator of the largest oil and gas producing state in the nation, the Railroad Commission plays a vital role in the stewardship of natural resources and in ensuring public safety, while supporting the state's long-term economic vitality in the energy landscape. Examples of that RRC mission are many.
Despite a record year for oil and gas production in 2023, Texas saw a significant reduction in its flaring rate at facilities. The Commission has taken concrete steps to reduce flaring by tightening procedures to flare gas, providing incentives for using flaring reduction technologies, and requiring operators to provide specific justification for their need to flare. The numbers bear witness to those steps. Since June 2019, the flaring rate in Texas, which is the percentage of the amount of gas flared compared to the amount of gas produced, has dropped by 63 percent. According to data from July 2024, the flaring rate was under one percent, meaning that more than 99 percent of gas produced in the state was being beneficially used, the release said.
Another energy-related issue the RRC has recently tackled head on is that of seismic activity possibly caused by underground injection of produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas production, into disposal wells. While this disposal process is vital to production, the RRC has leveraged modern technology to mitigate seismic risks. The agency now employs automation and machine learning to help staff with seismic reviews in the permitting process for disposal wells. A machine learning algorithm helps manage the large volume of information that needs to be processed, which allows technical analysts to perform their jobs more efficiently.
These are a few examples of how the RRC, which has regulated the oil and gas industry for more than a century, seeks innovative ways to protect Texas.
"Texas is the national leader is energy production," Chairman Christi Craddick said in the release. "Energy Awareness Month is a great opportunity to highlight the positive impact this industry has on Texas, the U.S., and the world. I'm proud to lead the regulatory agency that provides responsible and reasonable regulation to the oil and gas industry and look forward to Texas continuing to lead in this critical field."
"Most Texans don't realize the immense value of our state's oil and gas production which powers more than just the state, it fuels the nation and world," said Commissioner Wayne Christian. "According to the Texas Oil and Gas Association, if Texas were its own nation, the Lone Star State would be the third largest producer of natural gas and the fourth largest producer of oil. If America wants low power costs, energy independence and geopolitical stability, it will need federal policies that encourage a robust oil and gas sector and enable exports of that reliable energy to the rest of the world. So long as the need for reliable energy continues to grow with the developing world, 'Texas Tea' will always be there to quench that thirst."
"Texas natural resources not only power the diverse economy of our state, they also provide the fuel necessary to maintain U.S. energy independence and support the growing energy needs of our friends and allies across the globe," said Commissioner Jim Wright. "Access to affordable, abundant energy resources like those produced here in Texas is a blessing which, too often, is taken for granted. That is why it is important that all American's recognize the valuable contributions hydrocarbons play in our everyday lives and the important work being done by the Railroad Commission to keep Texas energy on track."
Energy Awareness Month also highlights how consumers can help take steps to sustain natural resources. For more information and resources about how you can increase your energy awareness, visit https://www.rrc.texas.gov/about-us/energy-awareness-month/.