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Texas oil and gas regulator launches ‘DOGE' task force

Texas oil and gas regulator launches ‘DOGE' task force

E&E News5 days ago
Texas' oil and gas regulator will get the 'DOGE' treatment after Commissioner Wayne Christian said he's forming the Delivering Oil and Gas Efficiently Task Force.
Unlike the federal employee purging instituted by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Christian said in a statement that the state Railroad Commission's effort is not about cutting personnel. Instead, he said, the task force will focus on cutting delays and updating the agency's systems.
'As a lifelong conservative, I believe government works best when it's limited, efficient and accountable,' Christian said in a statement last month. 'The DOGE Task Force is about making sure our agency runs smarter — not bigger — and that we continue to serve the people of Texas with excellence.'
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Christian's office did not respond to a request for comment last week. It's unclear who will serve on the task force.
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DOGE sprouts in red states, as governors embrace the cost-cutter brand and make it their own
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Stitt's Oklahoma DOGE has otherwise recommended changes in federal law to save money, opened up the suggestion box to state employees and members of the general public and posted a spreadsheet online with cost savings initiatives in his administration. Those include things as mundane as agencies going paperless, refinancing bonds, buying automated lawn mowers for the Capitol grounds or eliminating a fax machine line in the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order in February creating a task force of DOGE teams in each state agency. In the order, DeSantis recited 10 points on what he described as his and Florida's 'history of prudent fiscal management' even before DOGE. 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