The Texas Railroad Commission’s name is a smoke screen for what it actually does

The commission hasn’t regulated the railways in decades. Instead, it oversees the state’s vast oil and gas industry.

The name of the Texas oil and gas regulatory agency—unlike its peers in other states—has nothing to do with fossil fuels or natural resources. The Railroad Commission of Texas hasn’t had anything to do with railroads for almost two decades and, for advocates of government transparency, the agency’s name is not just a harmless misnomer—it’s a smoke screen that helps shield the Railroad Commission from public scrutiny and prevents voters from understanding the nature and extent of the elected commissioners’ power.