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Railroad Commission of Texas Streamlines its Process Adapted from a Press Release by the Railroad Commission of Texas In an effort to increase efficiency and transparency, the Railroad Commission of Texas announced oil and gas producers can now file well log data electronically. The commission now has the technology to begin accepting well log information electronically, so operators won’t be required to print and submit paper logs. This new electronic filing system is expected to save operators about $362,000 annually. More importantly, the system should also reduce the time and resources necessary to comply with reporting requirements. The information will also be easier for the public to access. The commission is expected to save over $100,000 and nearly 4000 hours of staff time by eliminating the need for staff to receive the paper copies of these well logs and convert them to electronic files. “Technology updates such as these help close the gap in day-to-day business operations between government agencies and private business,” Chairman Christi Craddick said. “We are bringing more data online to allow for a more efficient solution that saves both the state and industry significant time and money. In turn, that means the generation of further business activity, the creation of more jobs, and a stronger Texas economy overall. We at the commission will continue to do everything we can to drive these pro-business policies forward throughout every aspect of our processes.” Commissioner Ryan Sitton is glad the affordable solution will help modernize the agency and make the process easier on operators. “It made no sense to require operators to provide us information in paper form that they already had in electronic form, so I’m glad we identified this issue and saved both operators and the agency time and money,” he stated. Commissioner Wayne Christian agreed saying, “Reducing the regulatory burden on energy operators in Texas, while making sure we continue to protect the people and environment across our state makes good economic sense for our state. Smart regulation like this keeps operators in the field, Texans on the job, and gives the commission the tools we need to make sure energy production in Texas is done safely and responsibly.” This announcement comes on the heels of another announcement from the commission regarding drilling permits in the state. A total of 1009 original drilling permits were issued in December 2016, compared to 727 in December 2015. The December total included 909 permits to drill new oil or gas wells, 17 to reenter plugged well bores, and 83 for recompletions of existing well bores. The breakdown of well types for those permits issued December 2016 included 267 oil, 57 gas, 612 oil or gas, 62 injection, and 11 other permits. Commissioner Christi Craddick. Serving the Water Well, Environmental, Sonic, HDD, Mining, and Construction Industries Threads: API, Mayhew, BECO, DCDMA, FEDP, 88.9mm-177.8mm Other Industrial Threads and Custom Threads A Manufacturer of: Inertia-Welded Drill Pipe, Dual-Wall Drill Pipe, Wireline, Drill Rod/Casing, Composite Wireline Drill Rods, Sonic Drill Pipe/Casing/Bits, Percussion Casing/Bits, Drill Collars, Fishing Tools, Subs, Starter Rods, and Stabilizers. We now accept: Drill Pipe Inc. 550 S Third St. • Winsted, MN 55395 Phone: (866) 220-8342 • (763) 592-8670 • Fax: (763) 592-8661 tom@drillpipeinc.com • www.drillpipeinc.com 33 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JUNE 2017