Railroad Commission of Texas Site Policies

Accessibility Policy

Disclaimer

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) provides information via this website as a public service. Unless otherwise noted on an individual document, file, web page, or other website item, RRC grants permission to copy and distribute the information on its website for noncommercial use, as long as the content remains unaltered and is not presented in a misleading way. The RRC has no restrictions on linking to our website as long as a fee is not charged to access our material. However, we would appreciate acknowledgment of any items you use and request that you link to us in the proper context.

In addition, entities or individuals who copy information from the RRC website or link to the RRC website must follow Sections 3 and 5 of The State Website Linking and Privacy Policy entitled, “Linking to State Agency Websites” and “Copying Information from State Agency Websites,”  respectively. To view these requirements, click here or consult the following:

• Texas Government Code, Section 2054.126 
• Texas Administrative Code Title 1, Chapter 206
• Texas Government Code, Chapter 552 
• Texas Government Code, Chapter 559

The RRC also complies with Section 4 of the State Website Linking and Privacy Policy entitled, “Linking from State Agency Websites.” We provide links to external servers at our sole discretion and as our time and resources allow.

Links are provided as a public service and for informational purposes only. Links are provided only when the external server provides information that is useful to the public, our constituents or our employees. The RRC does not enter into reciprocal linking agreements.

We will remove links to external servers if we become aware that they are not managed in a professional manner, not operational and available most of the time, not kept up-to-date, or if they provide inaccurate information or unlawful or inappropriate content.

The RRC makes no effort to independently verify, and does not exert editorial control over, information on pages outside domains registered to RRC and expressly disavows any responsibility for such content, including, but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement of privately owned rights. Links to external servers do not imply any official endorsement, sponsorship, recommendation or approval by the RRC of the opinions, ideas, products, services or information contained therein.

Please note that the information on this website is provided on an “as is” basis. Users of the website are responsible for checking the accuracy, completeness, currency and/or suitability of all information themselves. The RRC makes no representations, guarantees, or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or suitability of the information provided via this website. The RRC specifically disclaims any and all liability for any claims or damages that may result from providing the website or the information it contains, including any websites maintained by third parties and linked to the RRC website. The RRC makes no effort to independently verify, and does not exert editorial control over website content hosted on domains not registered to RRC. The RRC does not endorse, sponsor, approve or recommend any of the products, vendors, consultants, or documentation referenced on the website. Any mention of vendors, products, or services is for informational purposes only.

Privacy and Security Policy

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) maintains this website as a public service. The following is the privacy policy for this website (all pages starting with www.rrc.state.tx.us, www.propane.tx.gov, altenergy.rrc.state.tx.us, webapps.rrc.state.tx.us, or driller.rrc.state.tx.us).

1. The RRC does not use cookies to collect information. Note: A cookie file contains unique information a website can use to (1) track such things as passwords, lists of pages you've visited, and the date when you last looked at a specific page, or (2) identify your session at a particular website. A cookie is often used in commercial sites to identify the items selected for a specific shopping cart application.

2. If you send the RRC an electronic mail message with a question or comment that contains personal identifying information, or fill out a form that e-mails us this information, we will only use the personal identifying information to respond to your request and analyze trends. We may redirect your message to another government agency or person who is in a better position to answer your question.

3. For site management functions, information is collected for analysis and statistical purposes. This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personal identifying information, and will not be released to any outside parties unless legally required to do so in connection with law enforcement investigations or other legal proceedings.

We use Log analysis tools to create summary statistics, which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. The following information is collected for this analysis:

• User Client hostname - The hostname (or IP address if DNS is disabled) of the user/client requesting access
• HTTP header, "user-agent" - The user-agent information includes the type of browser, its version, and the operating system it's running on
• HTTP header, "referer" - The referer specifies the page from which the client accessed the current page
• System date - The date and time of the user/client request
• Full request - The exact request the user/client made
• Status - The status code the server returned to the user/client
• Content length - The content length, in bytes, of the document sent to the user/client
• Method - The request method used
• Universal Resource Identifier (URI) - The location of a resource on the server
• Query string of the URI - Anything after the question mark in a URI
• Protocol - The transport protocol and version used

4. The RRC uses web-based forms for such purposes as collecting survey results, online reports, providing online registration for some RRC sponsored events and examinations, and online application and purchase of certain RRC-issued permits and licenses. Personal information collected from web-based forms has a specified use and RRC uses that information only for that purpose.

5. For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users at all times, the RRC monitors network traffic to identify any unauthorized attempt to upload or change information, or otherwise cause harm.

Because of the harm to State computer systems, including, but not limited to, the partial or total alteration or damage to data, or the interruption of computer services to other users, the RRC does not consent to access to its computer system by “robots,” denial of service attacks, or any other automated process that results in severe degradation of system performance.

The RRC reserves the right to block, in its sole discretion and without notice, any access to, or use of, its computer services that may compromise computer service to others, or the security of information management systems.

Unauthorized attempts to upload information, change information, or cause damage or harm, are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under Texas Penal Code Chapters 33 (Computer Crimes) or 33A (Telecommunications Crimes).

For more information on the guidelines contained in the Privacy and Security Policy, you may go to the State of Texas Department of Information Resources Standards.

Fraud, Waste and Abuse Reporting

Fraud, waste, or abuse can be related to the expenditure of state funds for:

• The General Appropriations Act-expenditures by state agencies, colleges, and universities or use of state grant money
• The federal stimulus or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
• Hurricane Ike

Texas Government Code, Section 321.022, requires state agencies to report suspected fraud or unlawful conduct to the State Auditor's Office if there are facts (not just mere suspicion) that point to fraud or unlawful conduct. Persons or entities reporting fraud to the State Auditor's Office (SAO) do not have to establish probable cause and/or have a suspect.

To report fraud, waste or abuse occurring at a Texas state agency, college, or university call the State Auditor's Office (SAO) Hotline at 1-800-TX-AUDIT (892-8348) or you can go to the SAO's website. Persons who report fraud may choose to remain anonymous.