Critical Infrastructure

Regulating the weatherization of natural gas facilities.

Contact Information

Helpful Links

Critical Infrastructure ANNOUNCEMENTS

2024 RRC Regulatory Conference - Registration Open


June 03, 2024

Registration is open for the Railroad Commission of Texas’ (RRC) annual Regulatory Conference. The conference will be held July 30-31 in Austin at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center.

The RRC is hosting this conference to inform and train industry representatives on the applicable laws, rules, and procedures for hydrocarbon production in Texas. This conference will feature over 60 sessions covering a variety of topics including:

  • acreage designations;
  • carbon sequestration and Class VI underground injection control permitting;
  • environmental permitting and compliance;
  • groundwater protection determinations;
  • H2S safety training;
  • inactive well compliance;
  • inactive well test reporting;
  • inactive wells and surface equipment removal requirements;
  • organization reports and financial assurance;
  • oil and gas completions;
  • new pipeline construction reporting;
  • production reporting;
  • severance tax incentives;
  • critical infrastructure inspections and audits;
  • critical infrastructure forms online filing;
  • Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) rules updates;
  • Plan of Correction online filing;
  • preparing for pipeline safety inspections;
  • specialized pipeline inspections;
  • transportation and storage reporting; and
  • underground injection control completions and reporting;
  • underground natural gas storage facilities; and
  • well densities exceptions.

In addition to RRC presenters, the conference will feature presenters from Energy World, Industrial Training Services, Mears Group, Inc., National Transportation Safety Board, PHMSA, RCP Inc., RegSafe and Southern Methodist University.

Plus, this year’s conference will again feature exhibitors!

The registration fee for the conference is $450 per person if registered by June 30, 2024, and $550 per person if registered on or after July 1, 2024.

For additional conference information and to register, visit the RRC’s website at https://www.rrc.texas.gov/about-us/organization-and-activities/activities/workshops-and-conferences/2024-rrc-regulatory-conference/.

View Our Announcements

Critical Designation of Natural Gas Infrastructure

Emergency Operations Plan

Weatherization

Training

Overview

Critical Infrastructure Overview

Printable Overview

What we do

RRC’s Critical Infrastructure Division (CID) is committed to serving the people of Texas by ensuring the natural gas industry consistently incorporates weatherization and reliability standards and practices to achieve uninterruptible natural gas production throughout the calendar year including periods of severe weather.

The CID will vigilantly oversee and manage adherence to weatherization rules, adopted by the RRC, including ensuring companies within the natural gas supply chain register their assets as Critical Infrastructure.

On November 30, 2021 The Railroad Commission of Texas commissioners adopted rules for critical designation of natural gas infrastructure to help protect Texans in energy emergencies. The new rules implement provisions in House Bill 3648 and Senate Bill 3 and define natural gas facilities that would be designated as critical gas suppliers and critical customers.

Critical gas suppliers include, but are not limited to, gas wells, oil leases that produce gas, natural gas pipeline facilities, underground natural gas storage facilities and saltwater disposal facilities.

Critical customers, which are a subset of critical gas suppliers, are facilities that require electricity to operate. These operators will submit a critical customer information to their electric utilities so that their electric utilities have the correct information for purposes of supplying power to the facilities.

Senate Bill 3 includes language to allow for certain facilities to apply for an exception to critical designation. However, the newly adopted rules exclude certain types of highly critical facilities from being able to apply for an exception. Examples include any facility that will be on the state’s electricity supply chain map, which is due to be published next year, underground gas storage facilities, pipelines that directly serve a power generation plant or local gas distribution companies, gas wells and oil leases that produce a large amount of gas per day, and gas processing plants. Applications for exception require objective evidence proving reasonable cause and justification, which will be reviewed, and RRC staff can deny an application.


Commissioners

Research

General

Audiences