One of the lower-profile contests on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot is for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, the three-member panel that, despite its name, oversees oil and gas.
The commission issues drilling permits, sets production rules, watches over pipeline safety and regulates the rates natural gas utilities charge, Nexstar's Austin bureau reported in an overview of the race published Sunday. The winner gets a six-year term.
The candidates
Jon Rosenthal, a Houston-area Democrat in the Texas House, is a mechanical engineer who spent decades working in oil and gas before entering politics. He describes himself as a "drill-baby-drill Democrat" and told Nexstar he decided to run after the February 2021 winter storm, which he blames largely on failures in natural gas delivery. He said he would work with the industry and the Legislature on requirements to weatherize critical gas infrastructure.
Rosenthal also wants faster progress on orphan wells, inactive wells with no legal owner left to plug them. Texas has identified more than 11,000 of them, according to the report, and the commission reported plugging over 2,000 in 2025 at a cost of about $125.6 million. Rosenthal said he would seek more money from lawmakers and add fees and penalties for the worst violators.
Bo French, the former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, did not respond to Nexstar's interview request. His campaign website says he was raised in Midland in a family with 80 years in the oil and gas business, worked as an energy trader for 10 years and now owns a company that provides security for large energy firms in the Middle East. French has drawn attention for his focus on social issues and has talked about going after the commission's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, according to the report.
