Republican Ryan Sitton won a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), beating challenger Steve Brown, a Democrat. Sitton will fill the seat vacated by Barry Smitherman, who left the commission to pursue what became an unsuccessful bid for Texas attorney general. Sitton is an engineer and runs an oil and gas consulting firm. During the campaign, he released a white paper on the water-related issues faced by the energy industry (see Shale Daily, Oct. 9). Sitton was the energy industry favorite to win, and his campaign raised far more than Brown’s. He joins RRC Chairman Christi Craddick and Commissioner David Porter on the three-member panel.