The Texas Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would create a task force to combat the escalating issue of petroleum theft in the state.
, authored by Republican Sen. Kevin Sparks of Midland, would form a statewide task force that would 鈥渁nalyze organized oil field theft and recommend solutions鈥� to address petroleum-product theft in Texas, Sparks said on Wednesday. The taskforce, under the oversight of the Railroad Commission of Texas, would be made up of industry stakeholders and law enforcement agencies.
鈥淭hieves engaged in organized theft often operate across multiple jurisdictions, complicating efforts to apprehend and charge them due to a lack of coordination between authorities,鈥� Sparks said.
Petroleum theft has been a persistent problem in Texas. The Energy Security Council estimated that the industry lost up to 3% of all the oil produced in Texas in 2016, the most recent available data, equating to a revenue loss of $450 million to nearly $1.5 billion. At the time, the state moved to implement for petroleum product theft, but lawmakers like Sparks argue that the problem hasn鈥檛 improved.
In a recent interview with , Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said his department deals with 鈥渁 lot of oil field theft鈥� in West Texas and added that the department seized more than a million dollars of stolen oil field equipment just last year.
The bill would require the task force to submit a report every other year that includes 鈥渞ecommendations to increase transparency, improve security, enhance consumer protections, prevent the theft of petroleum products, and address the long-term economic impact of the theft of petroleum products.鈥�
SB 494 will now move to the Texas House of Representatives for consideration. If passed, the Railroad Commission of Texas will be responsible for appointing members to the task force, with the initiative set to expire on Dec. 31, 2030.
Another proposed bill, , aims to amend the definition of petroleum-product theft to include production equipment, like drills and other hardware. The bill was co-authored by two Democratic lawmakers: Sen. Cesar Blanco of El Paso and Sen. Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, who initially pushed for criminal penalties for petroleum theft in 2017. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice last month.
