The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has achieved another record year in its processing of drilling permits, the state agency said Jan. 13.

For two years in a row since 2018, RRC staff has taken two days on average to process standard drilling permits, one day below the legislative requirement, according to a news release by the Texas RCC, which oversees oil and gas regulations for the state.

During calendar year 2019, the RRC processed a total of 11,654 new drilling permits. Standard drilling permits are permits that do not require exceptions to commission rules such as spacing or density rules.

The agency believes this efficiency, which RRC Executive Director Wei Wang attributes to technological solutions, helps foster the growth of energy production statewide. 

“Texas will continue to be the nation’s leader in energy production,” Wang said in a statement. “The Railroad Commission’s efficient, timely permit review processes are essential to the continued development of the state’s energy resources and ultimately support Texas’ economic prosperity.” 

Texas leads the nation in oil and gas production. In the last 12 months, Texas operators reported 1.438 billion barrels of oil produced and almost 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of total gas, the release said.

The Permian Basin—located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico—ranks as the top energy production region nationwide. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the basin contains 66 billion barrels of oil, nearly 300 Tcf of natural gas and 21 billion barrels of NGL in the Midland and Delaware sub-basins.

Onshore