AUSTIN, Texas — Oil and gas regulator Wayne Christian today urged Texas oil and gas operators to report petroleum product and property theft, citing testimony before the Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources from RRC staff, industry leaders and law enforcement officials serving on the State Task Force on Petroleum Theft (STOPTheft). The testimony underscored the need for more data to combat the growing economic impact of theft and reinforced the importance of continued coordination through STOPTheft.
“It has become clear that increased reporting of oil theft by industry is essential to identifying trends and quickly gathering available evidence,” Christian said. “While industry participation is critical, we must also continue to work to restore confidence that when an oil theft is reported, justice will be served.”
Texas Alliance of Energy Producers President, petroleum economist and STOPTheft appointee Karr Ingham shared a preliminary industry estimate indicating that oilfield theft has a staggering $4.3 billion economic impact on Texas. According to data from the Texas Comptroller, 92.7% of Texas oil and gas companies qualify as small businesses or microbusinesses, making them especially vulnerable to theft-related losses.
Christian emphasized that smaller oil and gas operators often face greater difficulty absorbing the financial burden caused by stolen oil, equipment and other critical assets. These losses place considerable strain on their operations and threaten the continued viability of many small producers.
“We must remain vigilant and continue working together to protect the strength of our oil and gas industry while keeping energy affordable for every Texan,” Christian said. “We are not just talking about stolen oil. Criminals are stealing equipment, vehicles, materials and other property that our producers need to keep operating. The combined cost of these losses continues to put significant pressure on smaller operators, who are less able to absorb these costs.”
Christian also credited Sen. Kevin Sparks with authoring Senate Bill 494, which created STOPTheft during the 89th Legislature, and praised the Texas Department of Public Safety for its strong commitment to combating oilfield theft. SB 494 established STOPTheft to study petroleum product theft and recommend strategies to prevent it, with participation from industry and local, state and federal law enforcement.
“I want to again thank Chairman Sparks for his leadership in authoring SB 494 to ramp up Texas’ fight against petroleum product and property theft,” Christian said. “He accurately identified that when you bring the right people to the table, you get results. We still have work to do, but the impact of this legislation is already measurable.”
