Oil Price: CenterPoint Closes $2.62 Billion Sale of Ohio Gas Utility
Oct. 1 — CenterPoint Energy has closed the previously announced $2.62 billion sale of its Ohio natural gas utility business to National Fuel Gas Company, completing another step in the Texas-based utility’s effort to concentrate investment on its core regulated operations.
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/centerpoint-closes-2-62-billion-145256645.html
Dallas Morning News: French faces Republican divide over disparaging posts in statewide Texas race
Sept. 30 — Republican state Rep. Angie Chen Button of Garland said Wednesday she will not vote for her party’s nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, Bo French.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/french-faces-republican-divide-over-202058352.html
Texas Scorecard: as Railroad Commissioner Praises Trump’s Rollback of Fuel Economy Standards
Sept. 30 — The U.S. Department of Transportation finalized the new standards under its “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” initiative. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the new standards would achieve a fleetwide average fuel economy target of 34.9 miles per gallon by the 2031 model year, down from the Biden administration’s 50.4 mpg target.
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-railroad-commissioner-praises-trumps-rollback-of-fuel-economy-standards/
The Hill: (Commentary) Trump, Republicans refuse to pull endorsement of Bo French — why?
Sept. 29 — If you are a person running for elected office in Texas, of all places, and you repeatedly use the language of hanging and public execution against political opponents, including a Black former president, that should be problematic for everyone.
https://thehill.com/opinion/lindseys-lens/6118168-bo-french-racist-rhetoric-controversy/
Rio Grande Guardian: Rosenthal: Texas Railroad Commission Needs an Engineer, Not Culture Wars
Sept. 29 — Speaking at the Northern Cameron County Democrats’ “Meet the Candidates Forum” at the La Sierra Event Center on September 26, the Houston Democrat argued that the powerful state agency—which regulates the state’s massive oil and gas industry rather than rail transportation—requires technical leadership to tackle environmental and public safety challenges.
https://riograndeguardian.com/stories/rosenthal-texas-railroad-commission-needs-an-engineer-not-culture-wars,85350
WFAA: Atmos Energy contractor in critical condition after gas explosion in Dallas Design District
Sept. 28 — An Atmos Energy contractor is hospitalized in critical condition following an overnight gas explosion while inspecting lines at a Dallas Design District apartment.
https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/local/dallas-county/atmos-energy-contractor-in-critical-condition-after-gas-explosion-in-dallas-design-district/287-3c559e32-81aa-4c0d-9ffc-6bae6d5ec88e
KERA NEWS: 2 Atmos Energy contract workers hospitalized in pipe explosion days after Dallas apartment gas leak
Sept. 28 — Dallas Fire-Rescue says a contractor was pressure testing a gas line near 1200 Turtle Creek Boulevard when the line exploded during the process. The incident happened at the Alexan Riveredge Apartments, where hundreds of residents had been displaced by a separate gas leak more than a week earlier.
https://www.keranews.org/energy-environment/2026-09-28/2-atmos-energy-contract-workers-hospitalized-in-pipe-explosion-days-after-dallas-apartment-gas-leak
The Cool Down: Texas resident gets $20,000 gas bill, sees usage 60 times higher, and shuts off autopay
Sept. 26 — One reply focused on safety instead of billing, warning that a real spike could mean a leak. That commenter told the resident to call the emergency line and make sure that their carbon monoxide detectors were working.
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-home/texas-resident-gas-bill-autopay-shut-off/
The Texas Tribune: Jon Rosenthal says he and Bo French agreed to first major debate between Texas statewide candidates
Sept. 25 — The debate, which has not been confirmed by French, would be his first major public event since he attracted criticism over racist posts about UT students.
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/25/bo-french-jon-rosenthal-debate-texas-railroad-commissioner/
KDH News: Railroad commissioner: Oil industry must strengthen defenses against cyber attacks
Sept. 24 — Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian is urging the Texas oil and natural gas industry to strengthen its defenses against cyberattacks.
https://kdhnews.com/news/texas/railroad-commissioner-oil-industry-must-strengthen-defenses-against-cyber-attacks/article_d950653b-a03e-5ef7-a575-ca9a5b26fbbe.html
Public Citizen: Public Citizen Comments to the Texas House Committee on Energy Resources Regarding the Railroad Commission’s Elimination of Public Comment Opportunities
Sept. 15 — On behalf of 30,000 members and supporters in Texas, Public Citizen’s Texas office appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the proposed elimination of public comment from Railroad Commission (RRC) hearings. We believe the recommendations below, namely changing the name of the commission to more accurately reflect its mission and keeping public comment will ensure that there is a robust and healthy public participation process that is necessary for a functioning government.
https://www.citizen.org/article/public-citizen-comments-to-the-texas-house-committee-on-energy-resources-regarding-the-railroad-commissions-elimination-of-public-comment-opportunities/
Denton Record-Chronicle: Senate, Texas Railroad Commission races remain tight less than month before early voting
Sept. 23 — A pair of polls just released suggest that many of the midterm elections in Texas could be heading for a photo finish, with Republicans in danger of losing at least one statewide contest to Democrats for the first time in more than 30 years.
https://dentonrc.com/elections/poll-senate-texas-railroad-commission-races-remain-tight-less-than-month-before-early-voting/article_86e2741a-dbb7-458c-b909-084ec81df608.html
Houston Chronicle: Bo French wants to ‘kick’ Islam out of Texas energy as Railroad Commissioner. Can he?
Sept. 23 — French made waves this month when he posted a photo of non-white students at a UT football game and suggested they did not belong at the school. He has since doubled down on the position, even in the face of Republican criticism.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/bo-french-wants-kick-islam-170457352.html
BusinessWire: (Press Release) SiEnergy Reaches Settlement in Texas General Rate Case
Sept. 23 — If approved, the settlement would resolve all items in the general rate case. It provides for an $8.6 million increase in the annual revenue requirement, compared with SiEnergy’s original request of $12.0 million. The settlement also provides for a capital structure of 59.75% equity and 40.25% long-term debt, a return on equity of 9.8%, and an overall cost of capital of 8.0%.
https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260923478615/sienergy-reaches-settlement-in-texas-general-rate-case
Madison Meteor: City approves Atmos rate settlement
Sept 23 — Madisonville City Council approved an Atmos Energy rate settlement Sept. 21, clearing the way for residential gas bills to rise an average $13.37 a month starting Oct. 1. The agreement covers Madisonville and 181 other Mid-Tex cities after negotiations cut Atmos’s initial request by more than $30 million.
https://www.madisonvillemeteor.com/article/7085,city-approves-atmos-rate-settlement
Fox4: Residents in the dark on timeline to return to Turtle Creek apartment complex after gas leak
Sept. 23 — On Friday, September 18, Atmos Energy crews conducting routine inspections discovered an outside gas leak at the Factory Design District Apartments, located at 120 Turtle Creek Boulevard. The inspection followed an unrelated kitchen fire on the fourth floor earlier that afternoon, which was quickly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system and firefighters with no injuries reported.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/dallas-apartment-gas-leak-turtle-creek-timeline-atmos-energy
Fox26: Bo French leads Railroad Commission race despite drop in favorability, poll shows
Sept. 22 — Republican railroad commission candidate Bo French is seeing his favorability among Texas voters drop amid his controversial social media posts.
https://www.fox26houston.com/election/bo-french-leads-jon-rosenthal-texas-railroad-commission
Houston Public Media: U.S. Senate, Texas Railroad Commission races remain tight less than month before early voting, TSU poll finds
Sept. 22 — Another nail-biter contest is the race for Texas Railroad Commissioner, with Republican Bo French leading Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal 44% to 42%, with 3% supporting Libertarian Arthur DiBianca and 11% undecided. French’s lead also falls within the margin of error. French is experiencing backlash from his own party to his social media posts of a photo from a University of Texas football game. The photo shows a crowd of people of color, who French denigrated.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/election-2026/2026/09/22/562540/u-s-senate-texas-railroad-commission-races-remain-tight-less-than-month-before-early-voting-tsu-poll-finds/
Houston Chronicle: Texas approves Exxon plan to bury 53M tons of carbon dioxide
Sept. 22 — Known as the Rose Project, ExxonMobil’s plan to permanently store 53 million metric tons of carbon dioxide beneath Jefferson County land won approval from the Texas Railroad Commission on Sept. 15. The project was the first contested carbon-storage permit decided by Texas regulators since the state took over the program from federal officials in December 2025, according to the Texas Dispatch.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/texas-approves-exxon-plan-bury-104500339.html
WFAA: 325-unit Dallas apartment building remains evacuated due to gas leak, officials say
Sept. 21 — Repairs after this emergency, which peaked Friday evening, continued throughout the weekend. Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) says five residents needed to be relocated by the Red Cross after the leak, but everyone else impacted was able to make it to a hotel.
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-county/gas-leak-prompts-evacuation-325-unit-dallas-apartment-building-during-inspection/287-35c62012-7b16-4afa-8be8-7eda6cf831a1
Daily Energy Insider: Utilities support proposed federal bill to reform judicial review of natural gas pipelines
Sept. 21 — The Unleash American Pipelines Act, H.R. 10500, would reform the judicial review process for natural gas pipeline certificates of public convenience and necessity issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
https://dailyenergyinsider.com/news/53830-utilities-support-proposed-federal-bill-to-reform-judicial-review-of-natural-gas-pipelines/
WFAA: Atmos Energy outage repairs complete in Little Elm after contractor damages natural gas pipeline
Sept. 21 — Some residents in Little Elm and surrounding areas were impacted by an outage after a third-party contractor damaged a natural gas pipeline Monday morning. Atmos Energy announced the repairs were completed at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21.
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/denton-county/atmos-energy-reported-little-elm-contractor-damages-natural-gas-pipeline/287-1d6c5633-d0e9-4346-912b-20ebc3ceed8e
Fox4: Gas leak prompts evacuation of Dallas apartment complex
Sept. 19 — While isolating the original 16-inch gas main, Atmos technicians discovered a parallel 3-inch main that also had to be purged. Atmos said the apartment building and six businesses on Levee Street could remain without gas service until Tuesday.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/gas-leak-prompts-evacuation-dallas-apartment-complex
Texas Scorecard: Landowners Request ‘Forensic Audit’ of Permian Basin Electricity Modeling
Sept. 19 — Filing comes as ERCOT has come under fire from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over a proposed contract extension and compensation increase for its CEO.
https://texasscorecard.com/state/landowners-request-forensic-audit-of-permian-basin-electricity-modeling/
***
The Texan: Texas Railroad Commission and House Energy Resources Committee Lock Horns
Sept. 16 — State Rep. Drew Darby had choice words for Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian at the recent committee hearing.
https://thetexan.news/issues/energy/texas-railroad-commission-and-house-energy-resources-committee-lock-horns/article_c14e54d5-54c0-4066-9494-745ebbb70776.html
Inside Climate News: Texas Oil and Gas Regulator Doubles Down and Defies State Legislature
Sept. 16 — After backlash to a new public comment policy, Commissioner Wayne Christian refused to attend a legislative hearing and cursed at a member of the public.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16092026/texas-oil-regulator-wayne-christian-defies-state-legislature/
Mother Jones: Bo French Wants Texas to Be the New Rhodesia. His Opponent Just Wants to Keep the Heat On.
Sept. 17 — In a bitter May runoff, Republicans instead nominated Bo French, an investor and former county GOP chair with only the vaguest glimmer of industry experience and a mostly irrelevant and racist political program that calls for deporting 100 million people, purging the nation of Muslims, and emulating a defunct apartheid state.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/bo-french-jon-rosenthal-texas-railroad-commission/
Texas Standard: Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French’s racist posts calling Asian students at UT a ‘problem’
Sept. 14 — French, the Republican nominee for a statewide position regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry, posted a photo of University of Texas students, while decrying “foreigners” displacing Americans.
https://texasstandard.org/stories/bo-french-john-cornyn-republican-texas-railroad-commissioner-ut/
Politico: Texas GOP candidate stands by xenophobic comments following backlash
Sept. 14 —Bo French, a Texas Republican running for the state’s railroad commission, reemphasized his viral social media post about Asian American students at the University of Texas.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/14/bo-french-ut-football-students-01075214
Inside Climate News: Meet the Mechanical Engineer Running to Regulate the Texas Oil and Gas Industry
Sept. 11 — Rosenthal worked as a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry for 25 years. Following Donald Trump’s 2016 election, he ran for state representative and flipped a seat that had been held by Republicans for more than two decades. Rosenthal has served on the Energy Resources Committee throughout his nearly eight years in the Texas House.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11092026/democrat-jon-rosenthal-runs-to-regulate-texas-oil-gas-industry/