Texas oil and gas regulators win new power to approve projects that shoot carbon undergroundThe Texas TribuneMedia Coverage | Nov 13, 2025

The EPA handed over power to the Railroad Commission after a two-year review. Critics say the commission has been too lax with the industry.

By Carlos Nogueras Ramos
November 13th, 2025

Industry observers are skeptical. State regulators, eager to take over the permitting process, could rubber-stamp permits much more quickly, said Virginia Palacios, executive director of Commission Shift, an oil and gas watchdog group. Palacios added that the commission has not set a strong example with saltwater disposal wells, built to store industry wastewater underground, some of which have ruptured through abandoned wells, sending torrents of water above ground.

“The Railroad Commission is getting this new authority that is just another form of injection in overpressured formations,” Palacios said. “We’re looking at an agency that handles bad actor companies with kid gloves.”