AUSTIN, Texas – The RRC has named Gilbert Herrera as the new Critical Infrastructure Division Director of Administrative Compliance.
Previously serving as the Director of Field Operations with the CID, Herrera has extensive experience protecting the reliability and resilience of Texas natural gas infrastructure by supporting the reliable flow of natural gas to power generation facilities and helping ensure regulatory compliance, operational preparedness and the sustained operation of critical energy assets.
As Director of Administrative Compliance, he will focus on strengthening oversight of the natural gas supply chain, ensuring compliance with critical infrastructure designations and other regulatory requirements, overseeing Emergency Operations Plans and improving the accuracy and reliability of data used to evaluate critical natural gas infrastructure.
Since the division’s formation in response to 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, Herrera has played a vital role in developing the CID, helping establish the processes, procedures, training, and operational frameworks necessary for its success. His work helps prepare Texas’s critical natural gas infrastructure for extreme weather by developing an inspection program, coordinating with industry and other stakeholders and identifying vulnerabilities that could affect the reliability of the natural gas supply.
Joining the RRC in 2018, Gilbert has held several leadership and engineering positions, including Regional Director, where he established and led a new regional division responsible for field inspections and regulatory compliance within the Critical Infrastructure Division. He also served as Houston’s Well Plugging Manager, where he was involved in numerous challenging well plugging projects, including high-pressure and high-temperature wells, H2S operations and high-consequence well control events, including work associated with a blowout of a submerged well in the Gulf of Mexico.
Before joining the RRC, Gilbert worked as an Engineer at SLB, where he supervised field crews and conducted well integrity operations across the Permian Basin. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and has completed executive and managerial leadership programs at the Texas McCombs School of Business.
