Public Comment Vanishes in Texas | Texas News

Texas News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 24, 2026 · 1m

Texas oil regulators just gutted public comment rights at monthly meetings, voting to make them optional — requiring commissioners to individually request public input. Critics call it a betrayal of transparency, especially since the policy was approved without public input and replaces direct commissioner access with staff-only “listening sessions.” While officials claim it’s more accessible, opponents say it’s a step backward — and one commissioner even called it a mistake. The Railroad Commission, long out of railroad regulation, is now facing renewed scrutiny over how it listens — or…