Texas Petroleum Theft Task Force Holds Meeting

Earlier this month, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) revealed that the organization’s petroleum theft task force held its second quarterly meeting.

In a statement posted on its website, the RRC said members of its state taskforce on petroleum theft (STOPTheft) gathered in Midland, Texas, on April 2 “to continue their work addressing the challenges of petroleum theft in Texas”.

“Led by RRC Chairman Jim Wright, the session opened with a brief overview of the task force’s duties, subcommittees and timeline goals for delivering their first report to the Legislature in December,” the statement said, noting that this report will assess theft impacts, long-term economic effects, and ways to improve coordination between law enforcement.

“Task force members highlighted the importance of including specific and detailed recommendations in the report as agencies prepare their budgets and the Legislature enters the 90th Legislative Session in January 2027,” the statement highlighted.

The statement also noted that, during the meeting, members “examined how theft extends beyond the theft of oil”.

“It also involves criminals stealing trucks, tools, and other materials such as copper,” the statement pointed out.

“More than 40 percent of oil and gas operators indicated that their operations have been impacted by theft in the past year, an increasingly sophisticated crime that has been linked to organized crime and foreign criminal syndicates, costing Texans millions of dollars in lost state revenue,” the RRC statement warned.

Established during the 89th Legislative Session through Senate Bill 494, STOPTheft brings together representatives from across state, federal, and local law enforcement and the energy industry, the statement highlighted. The group’s goal is “studying and making recommendations to help combat petroleum theft in the state”, according to the statement, which outlined that the task force is divided into four subcommittees “focused on tackling various issues”.

“[The] STOPTheft task force meeting marked a successful step forward in our effort to combat oilfield theft in Texas,” Railroad Commission Chairman Jim Wright said in the statement.

“I appreciate the commitment shown by the members and am confident that this collaborative approach will deliver results,” he added.

In a statement posted on the RRC’s website on October 31, 2025, the RRC announced that its petroleum theft task force had held its first meeting.

“To begin coordinated action against the rising threat of petroleum product theft in Texas, Railroad Commission of Texas Chairman Jim Wright presided over the inaugural meeting of the State Task Force on Petroleum Theft at RRC headquarters on October 29, 2025,” the statement said.

During the inaugural meeting, members reviewed the language of SB 494 and officially voted to approve the STOPTheft charter, the statement highlighted. It revealed that discussion topics included strengthening collaboration between law enforcement and private operators, examining the impact of petroleum theft on state sales tax revenues, and determining how to identify and align existing theft data gathered by law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

“Each of you were selected for the valuable expertise and insight you bring to this task force,” Wright said in that statement.

“Your work in the coming year and wealth of knowledge will play a pivotal role in protecting our precious Texas natural resources. I look forward to working together to accomplish the goals set forth under SB 494 and putting a STOP to oilfield theft,” he added.

The third quarter 2025 Dallas Fed Energy Survey noted that 41 percent of executives said their operations have been impacted by theft in the oil field in the past year. The remaining 59 percent said they have not been impacted, the survey pointed out.

Survey participants were asked, “in the past year, have your operations been impacted by theft in the oil field”, the survey highlighted, noting that executives from 80 exploration and production firms answered this question during the survey collection period. This spanned from September 10 to September 18, 2025, the survey pointed out.

Exploration and production (E&P) executives who said their operations have been impacted by theft in the oil field in the past year were then asked, “what items have been stolen over the past year”, the survey highlighted. The most selected response was ‘crude oil’, with 61 percent of respondents, according to the survey, which revealed that ‘piping valves and wiring’ was the second most selected response, with 58 percent of respondents, and ‘equipment’ was the third most selected response, with 39 percent of respondents. Executives from 33 exploration and production firms answered this question during the survey collection period, the survey revealed.

E&P executives who said their operations have been impacted by theft in the oil field in the past year were also asked, “how would you rate the impact of this theft on your firm’s operations”, the survey outlined. Well above 70 percent of respondents said “low”, with around 15 percent responding “medium”, and under 10 percent responding “high”, the survey pointed out. No respondents checked the “no impact” response, according to the survey. Executives from 33 exploration and production firms also answered this question during the survey collection period, the survey revealed.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com