RRC Commissioner Calls for Public Education on Energy

Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) commissioner Christi Craddick, speaking at the winter North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) meeting in Houston Feb. 5, encouraged those attending to proactively work together to educate the public about the importance of the current shale energy revolution. NAPE attracts 16,000 investors from the energy exploration and production sectors from across the globe.

“The booms and busts of oil and gas production are expected, but the industry’s recent innovations in shale development—the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling collectively—have immensely changed the conversation,” Craddick said. “We have sustained growth. This technology has catapulted the world into this new age of energy abundance. Although it started in Texas, shale development is now pursued throughout the world.”

She added that the question is not if this energy revolution continues, but rather that it must continue. “It is a question of how to find the proper balance between the needs of public interests, while aiding the continuance of enormous growth in global energy supplies. A big piece to successfully bridging that gap is education,” she said.

“With this monumental development comes not only a regulatory responsibility, but the unspoken, unconditional duty of industry, policy makers, and regulators to educate people about what is going on in their communities,” Craddick asserted. “We have worked hard to spread this message in Texas, but the effort does not stop there. We must all proactively work together to tell the story of the importance of this shale energy revolution to the world. With global awareness of the significance of this new age of energy development, the abundance of our energy resources is more certain.”