In all, the commission has requested $466,560,272 in biennial funding, with revenues from fees and surcharges covering 34.9 percent of its request and tax-supported General Revenue sources comprising 41.2 percent.
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Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick
The Railroad Commission would receive tens of millions of dollars in additional funding for new hardware, software, and information technology-related capital projects, under a budgeting request issued by the agency in advance of the 89th Texas Legislature.
In all, the commission has requested $466,560,272 in biennial funding, with revenues from fees and surcharges covering 34.9 percent of its request and tax-supported General Revenue sources comprising 41.2 percent. The federal government will provide 23.3 percent.
But the “last big ask” in its Legislative Appropriations Request is for IT, according to Railroad Commission chairwoman Christi Craddick. “We have to work to get more data,” she said, according to media reports.
Details of the Railroad Commission’s Legislative Appropriations Request include the following:
GIS Cloud Upgrade — $2,142,778
The Railroad Commission uses a geographic information system (GIS) to regulate the oil and gas industry and to help ensure that the industry’s critical infrastructure is prepared for weather emergencies. The agency seeks to migrate its current GIS to a cloud-based platform and requests $2,142,778 for that purpose.
Microfilm Digitization — $907,496
The agency endeavors to make all oil and gas records available digitally online for use by the public. However, records held at the district offices won’t be completely digitized until the end of the 2025 fiscal year. The agency requests $907,496 to complete this project.
Oversight and Safety Regulatory Filing Systems — $6,288,068
The Railroad Commission collects multiple reports with large amounts of data from natural gas utilities related to the sale of natural gas. The Commission uses this data to audit utility companies and ensure the accuracy of collected Natural Gas Utility Taxes. As such, the agency requests $6,288,068 to create a new online filing system to make reporting easier for utility companies and an Alternative Fuels Online System to streamline the permitting process for operators.
Data Center Services Adjustment — $7,700,000
The agency seeks an additional $7,700,000 to fund Data Center Services (DCS) for the biennium. The agency says the extra funding is needed because its DCS costs are estimated to increase by 50.5 percent beyond the 2024-2025 appropriated amount.
Capital Budget— $40,844,771
The agency seeks capital spending authority totaling $40,844,771 for four capital projects: $21,475,647 for mainframe modernization; $15,280,374 for Data Center Services capital expenditures; $3,000,000 for Inspection and Enforcement Tracking and Reporting System upgrades; and $1,088,750 for new personal computers.
In addition, the agency notes that funding from the 2021 Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act supports or is anticipated to support several programs including well plugging and site remediation activities, the Commission’s Brownfields program, and a program providing for the remediation of pre-1977 mining sites in Texas.