On April 2, the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC) released its drilling and completion statistics for March 2024. A press release from the agency stated that a total of 709 original drilling permits were issued in March.

According to the TRC, it issued various types of permits in March: 142 oil, 45 gas, 482 oil and gas, 32 injection, 4 service and 4 other permits.

The San Antonio area leads Texas in new oil and gas drilling permits and completions. The area was granted 79 permits to drill new oil/gas holes, achieved 66 new oil completions, and saw 35 new gas completions.

The TRC further reported that its staff processed a total of 786 oil, 202 gas and 443 injection completions for new drills, re-entries and re-completions in March. San Antonio topped these areas as well.

Following San Antonio was the Refugio area, Southeast Texas, and Deep South Texas. East Central Texas, East Texas, West Central Texas, the San Angelo area, Midland, the Lubbock area, North Texas, and the Panhandle complete the top ten list.

The mission of the agency is to serve "Texas through its stewardship of natural resources and the environment, its concern for personal and community safety, and its support of enhanced development and economic vitality for the benefit of Texans.

"Despite having 'railroad' in its name, TRC no longer has any jurisdiction or authority over railroads in Texas. This responsibility now lies with other agencies according to their website. The commission is led by Commissioners Christi Craddick, Wayne Christian, and Jim Wright.

The Texas Railroad Commission was established in 1891 "to prevent discrimination in railroad charges and establish reasonable tariffs," according to its website. It is the oldest regulatory agency in the state. In 2005, all authority over active railroads was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Texas Railroad Commission switched its focus to "alternative fuels safety, natural gas utilities, surface mining and intrastate pipelines."