Texas Natural Resources Code Title 3, Chapter 81 - Railroad Commission Of Texas

SUBCHAPTER A GENERAL PROVISIONS

• Texas Section 81.001 - Definitions
  In this chapter: (1) "Commission" means the Railroad Commission of Texas. (2) "Commissioner" means any member of the Railroad Commission of Texas. Acts 1977, 65th...

SUBCHAPTER B ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

• Texas Section 81.002 - Definition Of Person For Certain Provisions
  In this chapter: (1) "person" includes a corporation, as provided by Section 312.011, Government Code; and (2) the definition of "person" assigned by Section 311.005,...
• Texas Section 81.01001 - Sunset Provision
  (a) The Railroad Commission of Texas is subject to Chapter 325, Government Code (Texas Sunset Act). Unless continued in existence as provided by that chapter,...
• Texas Section 81.01002 - Chairman
  The commissioners shall elect one commissioner as the chairman. Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 85 (S.B. 1540), Sec. 3.02, eff. April 1,
• Texas Section 81.01003 - Qualifications For Office
  A commissioner must be: (1) a qualified voter under the constitution and laws; and (2) at least 25 years of age. Added by Acts 2009,...
• Texas Section 81.01004 - Personal Financial Disclosure, Standards Of Conduct, And Conflict Of Interest
  A commissioner is subject to the provisions of Chapter 572, Government Code, that apply to elected officers, including the requirements governing personal financial statements, standards...
• Texas Section 81.01005 - Name And Seal
  (a) The commissioners are known collectively as the "Railroad Commission of Texas." (b) The seal of the commission contains a star of five points with...
• Texas Section 81.01006 - Procedural Rules
  The commissioners may adopt all rules necessary for the commission's government and proceedings. Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 85 (S.B. 1540), Sec....
• Texas Section 81.01007 - Supplies
  The commissioners shall be furnished necessary furniture, stationery, supplies, and expenses, to be paid for on the order of the governor. Added by Acts 2009,...
• Texas Section 81.01008 - Sessions
  The commission may hold sessions at any place in this state when considered necessary. Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 85 (S.B. 1540),...
• Texas Section 81.01009 - Records Research Fee
  The commission shall charge a person who requests an examination or search of commission records $5 for each half hour or fraction of a half...
• Texas Section 81.01010 - Fee For Copies
  (a) The commission may charge a fee for copies of papers provided by the commission to a person other than a department of this state....
• Texas Section 81.01011 - Method Of Making Payments To Commission
  (a) The commission may authorize payment, as prescribed by the commission, of a regulatory fee, fine, penalty, or charge for goods and services by means...
• Texas Section 81.01012 - Gifts, Grants, And Donations
  (a) In this section, "contested case" has the meaning assigned by Section 2001.003, Government Code. (b) The commission may apply for, request, solicit, contract for,...
• Texas Section 81.01013 - Conflict Of Interest
  (a) In this section, "Texas trade association" means a cooperative and voluntarily joined association of business or professional competitors in this state designed to assist...
• Texas Section 81.01014 - Equal Employment Opportunity
  (a) The commission shall prepare and maintain a written policy statement that implements a program of equal employment opportunity to ensure that all personnel decisions...
• Texas Section 81.01016 - Separation Of Responsibilities
  The commission shall develop and implement policies that clearly separate the policy-making responsibilities of the commissioners and the management responsibilities of the staff of the...
• Texas Section 81.011 - Chief Supervisor
  (a) The commission shall employ a chief supervisor of its oil and gas division to assist the commission in enforcing the laws relating to the...
• Texas Section 81.012 - Qualifications Of Chief Supervisor
  In addition to other qualifications that may be required by the commission, a person appointed chief supervisor must have had at least five years' experience...
• Texas Section 81.013 - Deputy Supervisors, Assistants, And Clerical Personnel
  The commission may appoint a chief deputy supervisor, deputy supervisors, assistants, and clerical personnel necessary to execute the laws relating to oil and gas. Acts...
• Texas Section 81.014 - Qualifications Of Chief Deputy Supervisor
  A person appointed chief deputy supervisor must have had at least three years' experience in oil and gas field work. Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p....
• Texas Section 81.015 - Qualifications Of Deputy Supervisors
  Any person appointed deputy supervisor must have had at least two years' experience in oil and gas field work, including substantial experience in drilling or...
• Texas Section 81.016 - Salaries
  The salary of the chief supervisor, the chief deputy supervisor, and the deputy supervisors shall be the same as that provided in the General Appropriations...
• Texas Section 81.0165 - Salary Of Secretary
  The salary of the secretary of the commission shall be the amount appropriated for that purpose by the legislature. Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg.,...
• Texas Section 81.017 - Additional Employees
  The commission may employ gaugers, inspectors, investigators, supervisors, and clerical employees. These employees shall include a chief engineer, chief petroleum engineer, and an administrative chief,...
• Texas Section 81.018 - Payment Of Salaries And Other Expenses
  (a) Salaries and other expenses necessary in the administration and enforcement of the oil and gas laws shall be paid by warrants drawn by the...
• Texas Section 81.019 - Duties Of Chief Supervisor, Chief Deputy Supervisor, Deputy Supervisors, And Other Employees
  The chief supervisor, chief deputy supervisor, deputy supervisors, and other employees shall perform the duties prescribed by the commission in conformity with rules of the...

SUBCHAPTER C JURISDICTION, POWERS, AND DUTIES

• Texas Section 81.020 - Additional Duties Of Chief Supervisor And His Deputies
  (a) The chief supervisor and his deputies shall supervise the plugging of all abandoned wells and the shooting of wells and shall follow the rules...
• Texas Section 81.051 - Jurisdiction Of Commission
  (a) The commission has jurisdiction over all: (1) common carrier pipelines defined in Section 111.002 of this code in Texas; (2) oil and gas wells...
• Texas Section 81.052 - Rules
  The commission may adopt all necessary rules for governing and regulating persons and their operations under the jurisdiction of the commission as set forth in...
• Texas Section 81.0521 - Fee For Application For Exception To Railroad Commission Rule
  (a) With each application for an exception to any commission rule contained in Chapter 3 of Part I of Title 16 of the Texas Administrative...
• Texas Section 81.0522 - Natural Gas Policy Act Application Fee
  (a) With each Natural Gas Policy Act (15 U.S.C. Sections 3301-3432) application, the applicant shall submit to the commission a fee. The commission shall set...
• Texas Section 81.0523 - Exclusive Jurisdiction And Express Preemption
  (a) In this section: (1) "Commercially reasonable" means a condition that would allow a reasonably prudent operator to fully, effectively, and economically exploit, develop, produce,...
• Texas Section 81.053 - Commission Powers
  In the discharge of its duties and the enforcement of its jurisdiction under this title, the commission shall: (1) institute suits; (2) hear and determine...
• Texas Section 81.0531 - Administrative Penalty
  (a) If a person violates provisions of this title which pertain to safety or the prevention or control of pollution or the provisions of a...
• Texas Section 81.0532 - Penalty Assessment Procedure
  (a) A civil penalty may be assessed only after the person charged with a violation described under Section 81.0531 of this code has been given...
• Texas Section 81.0533 - Payment Of Penalty; Refund
  (a) On the issuance of an order finding that a violation has occurred, the commission shall inform the person charged within 30 days of the...
• Texas Section 81.0534 - Recovery Of Penalty
  Civil penalties owed under Sections 81.0531-81.0533 of this code may be recovered in a civil action brought by the attorney general at the request of...
• Texas Section 81.054 - Enforcement By Attorney General
  (a) The attorney general shall enforce the provision of this title by injunction or other adequate remedy and as otherwise provided by law. (b) If...
• Texas Section 81.055 - Pipeline System Financial Responsibility Requirements
  (a) Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1083, Sec. 25(132), eff. June 17, 2011. (b) If the legislature finds that adoption of such...
• Texas Section 81.056 - Contamination Report
  (a) In this section: (1) "Common carrier" has the meaning assigned by Section 111.002. (2) "Owner of the land" or "landowner" means the first person...
• Texas Section 81.057 - Exemption From Certain Purchasing Rules
  The commission is not required to follow any purchasing procedures prescribed by or under Subchapter E, Chapter 2155, Government Code, when the commission makes a...
• Texas Section 81.058 - Administrative Penalty For Certain Natural Gas-related Activities
  (a) The commission, after notice and opportunity for hearing, may impose an administrative penalty against a purchaser, transporter, gatherer, shipper, or seller of natural gas,...
• Texas Section 81.059 - Appointment Of Mediators For Informal Complaints
  (a) The commission may provide for the appointment of a commission staff member as the mediator of an informal complaint filed with the commission, or...
• Texas Section 81.0591 - Complaints
  (a) The commission shall maintain a file on each written complaint filed with the commission. The file must include: (1) the name of the person...
• Texas Section 81.0592 - Consumer Interest Information
  (a) The commission shall prepare information of consumer interest describing the regulatory functions of the commission and the procedures by which consumer complaints are filed...
• Texas Section 81.060 - Confidentiality Provisions
  (a) A confidentiality provision may not be required in a contract to which a producer is a party for the sale, transportation, or gathering of...
• Texas Section 81.061 - Authority To Establish Market-based Rates
  (a) This section does not apply to rates established under Chapter 103, Utilities Code, or Subchapter C or G, Chapter 104, of that code. (b)...
• Texas Section 81.062 - Public Participation
  The commission shall develop and implement policies that provide the public with a reasonable opportunity to appear before the commission and to speak on any...
• Texas Section 81.063 - Issuance, Suspension, Or Revocation Of License, Permit, Or Certificate
  (a) If the commission proposes to suspend or revoke a person's license, permit, or certificate of public convenience and necessity, the person is entitled to...
• Texas Section 81.064 - Powers Of Commissioner Or Designated Employee In Cases Before Commission
  (a) In a case before the commission, a commissioner, or an authorized commission employee, designated by the commission for that purpose, in the same manner...
• Texas Section 81.067 - Oil And Gas Regulation And Cleanup Fund
  (a) The oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund is created as an account in the general revenue fund of the state treasury. (b) The...
• Texas Section 81.068 - Purposes Of Oil And Gas Regulation And Cleanup Fund
  Money in the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund may be used by the commission or its employees or agents for any purpose related...
• Texas Section 81.0681 - Alternative Fuels Programs
  (a) The commission shall adopt all necessary rules relating to activities regarding the use of alternative fuels that are or have the potential to be...
• Texas Section 81.069 - Reporting On Progress In Meeting Performance Goals For The Oil And Gas Regulation And Cleanup Fund
  (a) The commission, through the legislative appropriations request process, shall establish specific performance goals for the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund for the...

SUBCHAPTER D WITNESSES

• Texas Section 81.070 - Establishment Of Surcharges On Fees
  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the commission by rule shall provide for the imposition of reasonable surcharges as necessary on fees imposed by...
• Texas Section 81.091 - Incriminating Testimony
  If a witness fails or refuses to appear on being summoned, to answer any question he is asked, or to produce any record or data...
• Texas Section 81.092 - Fee For Executing Process
  The sheriff or constable executing process shall receive the compensation authorized by the commission. Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2510, ch. 871, art. I, Sec....

SUBCHAPTER E FEES

• Texas Section 81.093 - Depositions
  (a) In a matter pending for hearing before the commission or a division of the commission, the commission or an interested party may produce the...
• Texas Section 81.112 - Disposition Of Tax Proceeds
  The tax shall be deposited in the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund as provided by Section 81.067. Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2511,...
• Texas Section 81.115 - Appropriations To Commission For Oil And Gas Regulation And Cleanup Purposes
  Money appropriated to the commission under the General Appropriations Act for the purposes described by Section 81.068 shall be paid from the oil and gas...
• Texas Section 81.116 - Oil-field Cleanup Regulatory Fee On Oil
  (a) An oil-field cleanup regulatory fee is imposed on crude petroleum produced in this state in the amount of five-eighths of one cent on each...

SUBCHAPTER F CAMPAIGNING

• Texas Section 81.117 - Oil-field Cleanup Regulatory Fee On Gas
  (a) An oil-field cleanup regulatory fee is imposed on gas initially produced and saved in this state in the amount of one-fifteenth of one cent...
• Texas Section 81.151 - Penalty For Campaigning
  A person who receives a salary from funds provided under this title and who uses his time or a state-owned automobile for campaign purposes or...
• Texas Section 81.152 - Discharge And Ineligibility
  A person found guilty under Section 81.151 of this code shall be discharged immediately from his position and shall be ineligible for employment by the...
• Texas Section 81.153 - Setting Civil Complaint For Hearing
  If a citizen of this state files a civil complaint with a district court in Travis County charging an employee with use of his time...
• Texas Section 81.154 - Notice To Employee
  The court shall have notice of the hearing served on the employee against whom the complaint was filed at least five days before the date...
• Texas Section 81.155 - Court's Order
  At the hearing, if the court determines that the employee has used his time or a state-owned automobile as charged in the complaint, the court...
• Texas Section 81.156 - Appeal
  Any person against whom charges have been filed is entitled to appeal to the court of appeals, but the pendency of the appeal does not...

Last modified: September 28, 2016