AUSTIN – The Railroad Commission of Texas continues to make great strides in digitizing oil and gas records as the agency improves both transparency and efficiency in its daily functions.
With more than 89.4 million records now digitized – up by more than six million since last October – the RRC is fast approaching 100 million records being added to its online digital archives by the end of this fiscal year. The accomplishment saves RRC staff significant man hours and reduces the processing time for routine records requests, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks that require more time to fulfill.
The RRC has nearly a century’s worth of oil and gas records on file and has been tirelessly working to digitize and upload this vast trove of paper and microfilm information to make it more easily available to the public who can now access them online rather than having to travel in person to the RRC’s Central Records office in Austin or hire a consultant to search the records for them.
“This milestone represents a major step forward for the Railroad Commission and for government transparency and efficiency,” said Chairman Christi Craddick. “When I took office, the agency relied on decades-old technology. Modernizing our IT systems has been a top priority of mine — increasing efficiency within the agency and ensuring greater transparency and easier access to data and records for all Texans. Reaching nearly 100 million digitized records is a clear sign of our continued success in fully bringing the world’s oldest regulatory agency into the 21st century.”
“For years now, the Railroad Commission has been rapidly modernizing our agency to meet the demands of the technological age. Texas oil and gas leads the industry in innovation, so it’s imperative that its regulator does the same,” said Commissioner Wayne Christian. “I want to commend our agency’s staff for their hard work digitizing the RRC, which will streamline government allowing our producers more time to do what they do best—produce cheap, affordable, and reliable energy.”
"Agency efficiency is a priority for the Railroad Commission," said Commissioner Jim Wright. "This digitalization effort not only improves the efficiency of Commission staff but allows greater access for all Texans to review and search the Railroad Commission’s vast trove of records. I want to thank the Railroad Commission staff involved in this effort for their tireless work to improve access to this important information.”
Documents that have been digitized range from oil and gas production and well completion records to hearing files, well status reports and various types of permits. These records are routinely used by researchers, landowners, royalty owners, energy companies and public information requesters.
Records that have been digitized can be found on the RRC’s website at:
https://www.rrc.texas.gov/resource-center/research/research-queries/imaged-records/imaged-records-menu/
