Editorial commentary

Not a subject that I pay extremely close attention to but, The Texas Railroad Commission and Texas energy in general, are important issues that shouldn’t be overlooked. The upcoming election of the 3-person commission is usually a low-coverage event; however this November 4th election has spiked the interest of many Texans. There are three candidates running for the commission’s chairman position; Republican Michael Williams, Democrat Mark Thompson, and Libertarian David Floyd.

The editorial board of The Austin American Statesman has come out in support of the current chairman, Michael Williams. The editorial board’s endorsement of Williams, TX Railroad Commission: Energy experience gives Michael Williams an edge, is geared toward, in my opinion, a knowledgeable and conscious audience. The reasons the board give for supporting Williams are based on having previous knowledge of The Texas Railroad Commission and it’s involvement in Texas energy and environmental issues. This editorial enhances Williams appeal, but it offers no contradictory views or ideas of the other candidates. From what I have read outside this article, Thompson, similar to Williams, has many plans for the commission to utilize Texas’ abundant natural power sources. Both Thompson and Williams are running on the platform of reducing environmentally harmful waste, and finding a wide variety of useable energy sources. One of the first main points this article makes in supporting Michael Williams, is that he has more/better knowledge of issues surrounding Texas energy. They support this claim by emphasizing his nearly 10 years of service on The Railroad Commission, and his ability to successfully get Texas involved in certain energy conserving programs. I find that making such a generalized claim weakens their argument. To say that one candidate has “superior knowledge” over another in an area where all the candidates have devoted years to the same underlying issue is a bit bold. Yes, Williams has been apart of the Commission for several years but that doesn’t necessarily make him more qualified for the position.