Energy Transition, Electric Power, Natural Gas, Chemicals, Crude Oil, Emissions
November 04, 2026
Rosenthal wins Texas oil, gas regulator seat, first for a Democrat since 1995
By Nushin Huq
Editor:
HIGHLIGHTS
Former engineer pushes stricter utility oversight
Targets reduced flaring and orphan wells
Democrat Jon Rosenthal won the Nov. 3 election for the vacant commissioner's seat at the Texas Railroad Commission, defeating Bo French (Republican) and Arthur DiBianca (Libertarian).
The Railroad Commission (RRC), despite its name, regulates oil and gas drilling, pipeline safety, natural gas utilities, surface mining and underground injection control in the country's largest oil-producing state. No Democrat had won an RRC seat since 1995.
The Associated Press called the race for Rosenthal early Nov. 4. Rosenthal led French 52.6% to 45.5%. DiBianca had received 1.9%, with 93% of the vote completed.
Rosenthal is a four-term state representative in the Texas Legislature and a career oilfield mechanical engineer.
Rosenthal's influence on the commission will be limited since the RRC's three-person body structure gives each commissioner one vote. He will join two industry-aligned Republicans, Christi Craddick and Wayne Christian.
For gas utilities, Rosenthal's priorities include stricter prudence reviews on utilities to cover costs and greater transparency in gas utility billing.
For wells, his priorities include reducing flaring, "turbo-charging" orphan-well plugging, and raising bonding requirements for new drilling permits. He also promotes job training to support small operators with technical assistance in installing capture and compression, as well as new technologies such as geothermal and carbon dioxide storage.
Rosenthal would like to add community liaisons in every region; upgrade pipeline safety; and require site-specific emergency plans, alarms and public notification for releases of sour gas and hazardous chemicals.
Rosenthal was endorsed by the Sierra Club, an environmental organization, and the Texas AFL-CIO, a labor federation.
French, the former Tarrant County Republican Party chairman, focused his campaign on topics such as his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, rather than the agency's core regulatory portfolio.
