Texas Oil Regulator Urges Operators to Report Theft
by Andreas Exarheas | Rigzone Staff
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*this article was not written by Roseland Oil & Gas
Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian has urged oilfield operators to report theft, a statement posted on the Texas Railroad Commission’s (RRC) website recently highlighted.
Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian has urged oilfield operators to report theft, a statement posted on the Texas Railroad Commission’s (RRC) website recently highlighted.
“Oil and gas regulator Wayne Christian … urged Texas oil and gas operators to report petroleum product and property theft, citing testimony before the Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources from RRC staff, industry leaders, and law enforcement officials serving on the State Task Force on Petroleum Theft (STOPTheft),” the statement noted.
The RRC statement highlighted that the testimony “underscored the need for more data to combat the growing economic impact of theft and reinforced the importance of continued coordination through STOPTheft”.
“It has become clear that increased reporting of oil theft by industry is essential to identifying trends and quickly gathering available evidence,” Christian said, according to the statement.
“While industry participation is critical, we must also continue to work to restore confidence that when an oil theft is reported, justice will be served,” he added.
Christian also emphasized that smaller oil and gas operators often face greater difficulty absorbing the financial burden caused by stolen oil, equipment, and other critical assets, the statement pointed out, noting that these losses place considerable strain on their operations and threaten the continued viability of many small producers.
“We must remain vigilant and continue working together to protect the strength of our oil and gas industry while keeping energy affordable for every Texan,” Christian said, the statement highlighted.
“We are not just talking about stolen oil. Criminals are stealing equipment, vehicles, materials, and other property that our producers need to keep operating,” he added.
“The combined cost of these losses continues to put significant pressure on smaller operators, who are less able to absorb these costs,” he continued.
STOPTheft
The statement went on to note that Christian also credited Senator Kevin Sparks with authoring Senate Bill 494, which the RRC pointed out created STOPTheft during the 89th Legislature. The RRC’s statement also highlighted that Christian praised the Texas Department of Public Safety for its strong commitment to combating oilfield theft.
SB 494 established STOPTheft to study petroleum product theft and recommend strategies to prevent it, with participation from industry and local, state, and federal law enforcement, the RRC noted in its statement.
“I want to again thank Chairman Sparks for his leadership in authoring SB 494 to ramp up Texas’ fight against petroleum product and property theft,” Christian said, according to the RRC statement.
“He accurately identified that when you bring the right people to the table, you get results. We still have work to do, but the impact of this legislation is already measurable,” he added.
The RRC statement also pointed out that Texas Alliance of Energy Producers President, petroleum economist, and STOPTheft appointee Karr Ingham shared a preliminary industry estimate indicating that oilfield theft has a $4.3 billion economic impact on Texas.
“According to data from the Texas Comptroller, 92.7 percent of Texas oil and gas companies qualify as small businesses or microbusinesses, making them especially vulnerable to theft-related losses,” the RRC noted.
Key Legislation
A statement posted on Office of the Texas Governor’s website in June 2025 announced that Texas Governor Greg Abbott had signed into law “key legislation to protect Texas’ oil and gas industry and promote economic growth across West Texas”. This legislation included SB 494, the statement highlighted.
“Today is a defining moment for the Permian Basin, the future of this region, and the future of Texas,” Governor Abbott said at the time.
“We are bringing the full weight of the law to crack down on oil theft in the Permian Basin to protect the critical role energy development plays in fueling our economy,” he added.
That statement warned that organized criminals and cartels have increasingly targeted oil pipelines and storage tanks, stealing millions of dollars from communities in the Permian Basin.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said, in a third quarter 2025 Dallas Fed Energy Survey page posted on its website, that forty-one percent of executives said their operations had been impacted by theft in the oil field in the past year.
Oil Theft Bust
In a statement posted on RRC’s site back in August, Christian hailed an “oil theft bust” stemming from a multistate investigation as a “victory for Texas oil and gas”.
The statement announced “a major breakthrough in Texas’ fight against organized petroleum theft”, following what it described as a multistate investigation that resulted in six arrests and the seizure of more than $12 million in petroleum products, vehicles, cash and other assets.
“I applaud the federal and state authorities involved for their outstanding collaboration and success,” Christian said in the statement.
“This is a victory for Texas’ oil and gas industry and for the hardworking men and women who produce the energy that powers our state and nation,” he added.
“Criminal enterprises that believe they can steal Texas oil, undermine legitimate producers, and profit at their expense should think again,” he continued.
“The eyes of Texas are upon them, and we will continue working to protect the integrity of our energy industry and to hold those who steal from it accountable,” he went on to state.
The RRC notes on its site that it is the state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, critical natural gas infrastructure, and coal and uranium surface mining operations.
The commission exists under provisions of the Texas Constitution and exercises its statutory responsibilities under state and federal laws for regulation and enforcement of the state’s energy industries, the site adds, noting that the commission also has regulatory and enforcement responsibilities under federal law including the Surface Coal Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Pipeline Safety Acts, Resource Conservation Recovery Act, and Clean Water Act.
by Andreas Exarheas | Rigzone Staff
click here to read this article at Rigzone.com
*this article was not written by Roseland Oil & Gas