The editorial board recommends Katherine Culbert, a process safety engineer, for the Texas Railroad Commissioner position, citing her commitment to transparency and focus on worker and community safety. The board highlights concerns about the agency's existing conflicts of interest and lack of trust, also discussing other candidates and their qualifications.
For too long, the Texas Railroad Commission has been criticized for essentially being in the hands of the oil and gas industry it is supposed to regulate. There arethree of the candidates in the Republican primary for Railroad Commissioner were concerned about conflicts of interest at the agency and the need to rebuild trust.
From this group, we recommend Katherine Culbert, a process safety engineer, as having the best credentials for this agency and for her commitment to transparency.Culbert, 50, told us she likes to look at things with a preventive eye to make sure workers and communities are protected. Orphan wells are an example of how the agency is not doing enough, she said. “When a plugged well leaks, the Commission needs to take responsibility for the well, no matter the history,” she wrote in the Voter Guide. “It does not benefit Texans to have the Railroad Commission turning away from helping landowners because of an old well that is not on the books.”Hawk Dunlap and James Matlock, who also interviewed with us, could be part of a much-improved Railroad Commission. Also running are incumbent Jim Wright and Bo French, the former Tarrant County GOP chairman. French is the least qualified and is running to “stop the Islamic invasion.” Dunlap, 55, has vast experience in oil fields all over the world and was concerned that landowners in Texas are forced to hire lawyers to do the job that the Railroad Commission is supposed to do.Matlock, 53, brought very specific examples showing the agency is failing everyday Texans and shared a proposal to change its name to be more descriptive of what it does and to expand its scope to oversee more of Texas’ energy sources. But we have concerns over a Jan. 31 post on X, where he justified the use of deadly force against protesters. Culbert, Dunlap and Matlock told us they are not receiving campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Dunlap has raised about $65,000 and Culbert roughly $7,000. Matlock told us he is self-financing his campaign. They all pale in comparison to incumbent Jim Wright’s contributions. He reported over $440,000, including contributions linked to the oil industry. Wright did recently recuse himself from a vote related to an oilfield waste company that he had financial ties to. The recusal was so rare it made news. In 2021, Wright reported active interests in 18 companies, according to Commission Shift, “Recusal needs to be mandatory,” Culbert told us. We agree; the perception of conflict of interest is not a good look for any regulating agency.This is an agency that no longer has credibility and is in serious need of reform. The way it operates is so well-known that it has even become a punchline in Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ seriesDallas Morning News editorials are written by the paper's Editorial Board and serve as the voice and view of the paper. The board considers a broad range of topics and is overseen by the Editorial Page Editor.Seahawks ride defense to big win over Patriots, secure franchise’s second Super Bowl title
Texas Railroad Commission Oil And Gas Industry Katherine Culbert Conflicts Of Interest Elections
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