Commissioner Christi Craddick was unanimously elected chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Tuesday. “My priorities for the agency continue to include our focus on maximizing efficiency throughout our processes and rules so that we are able to do our job better and at less expense to taxpayers and industry,” Craddick said. “As part of that efficiency effort, our modernization of the Commission’s IT [information technology] programs and processes will bring more data online for public use, improve productivity and increase transparency across all divisions.” Craddick said after the first of the year she will meet with Texas operators to formulate a five-year plan for technology best practices at the agency. She also said she will meet with RRC district office staff throughout the state to ensure consistency in RRC enforcement actions. She also plans to meet with local leaders in the Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin regions to gauge the effect of the commodity price downturn on local economies. “Earlier this year, I was appointed to the National Petroleum Council, and I look forward to working with the new administration’s secretary of energy on ways to protect states’ regulatory authority of energy production for the benefit of local industry growth and state economies,” Craddick said.