Jeff was raised in the oilfields of West Texas and Louisiana. Jeff has worked in the OIL Industry, and has the scars to prove it too!
The Texas Railroad Commission is a misnomer at best, but it is the most important regulatory commission in Texas.
The Texas Railroad Commission was formed in the 1890’s to protect farmers from predatory pricing by the railroads. The Texas Legislature later gave the Commission additional regulatory responsibilities, primarily over trucking and oil and gas exploration and production. Over the years, the Commission’s authority over railroads and trucking was reduced, and finally eliminated altogether in 2005.Jeff is a strong supporter of ALL things Texas. He is a proponent of property rights and is set to tackle the eminent domain issue that most Texans are tired of.
The Texas Railroad Commission is currently responsible for:
*Regulating oil and gas exploration and production;
*Regulating pipeline (both natural gas and hazardous liquid) safety;
*Regulating certain coal and uranium surface mining operations;
*Setting rates for pipelines and for natural gas utilities;
*Regulating natural gas utility safety measures; and
*Creating and applying programs designed to promote the use of and market for *Liquefied Petroleum (LP) or Propane gas.
Eminent DomainWe believe that Jeff Weems would make an excellent Texas Railroad Commissioner.
n. the power of a governmental entity (federal, state, county or city government, school district, hospital district or other agencies) to take private real estate for public use, with or without the permission of the owner. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution provides that "private property [may not] be taken for public use without just compensation." The Fourteenth Amendment added the requirement of just compensation to state and local government takings. The usual process includes passage of a resolution by the acquiring agency to take the property (condemnation), including a declaration of public need, followed by an appraisal, an offer, and then negotiation. If the owner is not satisfied, he/she may sue the governmental agency for a court's determination of just compensation. The government, however, becomes owner while a trial is pending if the amount of the offer is deposited in a trust account. Public uses include schools, streets and highways, parks, airports, dams, reservoirs, redevelopment, public housing, hospitals and public buildings.
Jeff's opponent? Well, ask him if he ever threw a *spinning chain* or *racked* pipe...
