Railroad Commission of Texas Chairman Wayne Christian issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s decision to release 50 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

“Today’s actions demonstrate the Biden Administration is more interested in temporary political gain than addressing systemic policy issues that drive up the cost of energy, destroy high-paying jobs and harm our national security,” said Christian. “Instead of pandering to a vocal minority of climate catastrophists, Biden should unleash domestic energy producers to provide affordable, reliable energy for the American people.”

“Biden’s polling is at record lows because the American people are increasingly sick of his expensive, dangerous policies,” continued Christian. “From his disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan and his weak stance on China to bending the knee to OPEC+ and now withdrawing from the strategic petroleum reserve, Biden has unnecessarily put the United States at a severe geopolitical disadvantage just for the sake of virtue signaling that he is progressive on climate change.”

Source: www.rrc.texas.gov

Resource Could Help Quench Parched Parts of State

Railroad Commission geologists have identified and mapped a deep aquifer in Texas that could yield appreciable volumes of fresh water in and around Eagle Pass, a semiarid region of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Maverick Basin Aquifer, RRC’s working name, has been located in the Glen Rose Formation, which is more than a mile under the surface in some places. Maverick, Dimmit, and Zavala Counties have deeper water, and Kinney and Uvalde Counties are somewhat shallower. So far, the aquifer is known to be at least 3,000 square miles in area and averages about 1,000 feet thick in most places.

The aquifer’s recharge zone geologically is via karsts in the hills 50 miles west of the Rio Grande in Mexico and has no connection with the river.

A driller of a would-be oil well is working with the RRC to obtain permission to convert it to a drinking water well, which is what prompted research by RRC’s Groundwater Advisory Unit (GAU).

“It’s because of oil and gas exploration that we found this aquifer, said James Harcourt, Manager of the GAU. “The aquifer likely holds sustainable quantities of drinking water. It almost never happens that you have pristine water quality at these depths in these volumes.”

RRC’s GAU, which is more than 100 years old, reviews data from operators, academics, government agencies, and groundwater conservation districts and other sources to ensure that oil field activities and well designs are protective of fresh water. The GAU issues groundwater identification reports which must be reviewed by RRC field staff and operators before underground oil and gas engineering operations could be approved.

Data from testing the Maverick Basin Aquifer during GAU research showed future water wells could be capable of sustainably producing thousands of gallons of freshwater per day from an individual well with some wells exhibiting artesian flow.

The RRC has had the water tested by a San Antonio laboratory, and tests show it meets or exceeds federal and state drinking water standards. Most water occurring so deep under the surface of the earth is extremely salty or has other constituents, so this find, initially reported by the driller, is quite unusual.

The GAU is sharing this new water find with the Texas Water Development Board, which oversees the state’s water planning and water availability; the Board will do further research of its own.

Source: www.rrc.texas.gov

With the National Retail Federation expecting retailers to hire more than 500,000 seasonal workers and employers hopeful for a busy holiday season, the U.S. Department of Labor reminds them not to overlook their worker’s rights to a safe and healthy workplace and to be paid all of their legally earned wages. With many businesses open for in-person shopping in 2021, employers must also take steps to control and prevent coronavirus spread.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges employers to ensure it properly trains all workers – especially new and seasonal workers – to recognize and prevent workplace hazards. OSHA offers resources on holiday workplace safety for warehousing, delivery and retail workers. Guidance is also available for protecting retail workers, including those in high customer-volume environments, stockrooms and loading docks, and package delivery from coronavirus exposure.

OSHA offers additional information on workers’ rights and protections, the protection of temporary and seasonal workers, as well as safety for young workers.

“The holiday season is typically a very busy time for businesses, and just as consumer demands increase, so must an employer’s awareness of keeping their employees safe,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Safety and Health Doug Parker. “All workers – from those starting their first job to those making some extra money as a seasonal worker to those year-round employees – are entitled to a workplace free from hazards and to be trained in a language they understand to recognize and prevent hazards.”

The department also encourages employers, especially those unfamiliar with seasonal and part-time hiring, to familiarize themselves with federal wage rules to make sure they pay temporary and seasonal workers all of the wages they earned, and as the law requires. The Wage and Hour Division finds failing to pay salespeople and cashiers for time spent prepping or closing out registers, requiring stock room and warehouse personnel to work through breaks without pay, and not paying workers overtime pay when required are among the most common violations cited in holiday employment investigations.

“This holiday season, and all year round, workers deserve dignity and respect from their employers,” said Acting Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “Employers should ensure their payroll practices comply with all minimum wage, overtime and child labor requirements so those who depend on their wages to care for themselves and their families are able to benefit from their hard work.”

Source: www.osha.gov