“It’s hard to prove to the public you’re making an unbiased decision if two-thirds of your funding is coming from the industry,” said Virginia Palacios, executive director of the nonprofit group Commission Shift.
Suggestions for reform have largely been quashed because of the oil industry’s influence in the state capital, according to observers. Basic changes, like altering the commission’s name to reflect its actual job — the Railroad Commission hasn’t dealt much with trains since the 1980s — have failed to get passed.
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