In Laredo, Jon Rosenthal makes his first public pitch for a seat on Texas Railroad Commission

By Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune
August 22, 2026

LAREDO — A group of high school students listened intently to state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, as he explained underground carbon dioxide injection, data centers and how those issues relate to the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry.

Near a table with pizza and wings, he described to Lucy Quintanilla, a retiree, how the underground disposal of wastewater from oil production has led to seismic activity in the oil and gas-producing Permian Basin in West Texas.

“I think we all learned a little bit more talking with (Rosenthal),” said 17-year-old Chris Benavides, who is involved with Webb County’s young Democrats, after going to the first town hall that Rosenthal has held as he tries to win a seat on the Railroad Commission as a Democrat.

Rosenthal, a career oil field engineer and four-term House member, fielded questions about the oil and gas industry and the agency he hopes to join, which regulates the state’s massive oil and gas industry. The event was a test of whether his experience and his message would resonate with voters largely unfamiliar with the agency’s responsibilities.

Rosenthal will face Bo French, a high-ranking Republican operative who last served as chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party and who has made culture wars the centerpiece of his campaign — such as comments questioning whether Jewish people or Muslims posed a bigger threat to the United States. In March, French said the U.S. should deport 100 million people — roughly a third of the country’s population.

After French and Rosenthal secured their primary nominations in March, French launched his first attacks against his Democratic opponent over a selfie he posted on social media in 2021 wearing a mask that read, “Protect Trans Kids.”

Rosenthal said he intends to set such issues aside and use his campaign to educate voters about the importance of the Railroad Commission, a largely obscure regulatory agency that oversees nearly half of the U.S. oil supply. The agency is also responsible for a growing list of abandoned oil and gas wells, many of which have become conduits for oil and gas wastewater to gush to the surface, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in remediation to repair environmental damage.

Rather than use the event to outline all of his policy proposals, Rosenthal opted to show his proficiency in the issues the Railroad Commission deals with.

Laredo residents who spoke to The Texas Tribune after the event Saturday said they left with a better understanding of the Railroad Commission, particularly environmental issues such as flaring, the practice of burning off excess gas at oil production sites.

Pamela Neumann, a sociology professor at the local university, said she left the event with a stronger grasp of the Railroad Commission’s limitations, including a limited workforce and strained budget, topics Rosenthal discussed.

“It sounds like (the railroad commission) is actually under-resourced to actually enforce any of the existing regulations that might ensure that oil companies are following the law,” Neumann said. “I also didn’t know we had repeat polluters getting permits; that was new information for me … it’s very concerning. These companies that are potentially huge polluters obviously do a lot of good for our economy but can also be hugely impactful to our environment in a negative way.”

Melissa Cigarroa, a first-term Laredo City Council member, questioned Rosenthal about data centers, oil field pollution and water issues to test his understanding of issues that she said the Texas Legislature has failed to address. She also expressed her worry that the state power grid is vulnerable as Texas sees unprecedented electricity demand.

“Having a mechanical engineer at the Railroad Commission, which will be at the forefront dealing with the energy needs of Texas, is a much better prospect than a person that feeds off of racism and, frankly, conspiracy theories,” she said, referring to French. “It’s an unserious person for such an important position.”

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.