Commissioner Michael L. Williams
Updated: 9/10/09
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Events Archive
CleanFUEL USA Secures $12.9 Million from U.S. Departmnet of Energy (Marketwire, 9/9/09) An alternative energy advocate, Michael Williams, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman has championed the use of environmentally friendly alternative fuels such as Autogas with the "Breathe Easy" initiative. These educational campaigns coupled with incentives have helped many public and private fleets statewide, especially schools, take advantage of the inherent benefits of operating an Autogas fleet.
Energy Efficiency Summit
(MyHighPlains.com, 7/13/09) Congressman Michael Burgess and Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams met with other officials and industry experts Saturday in north Texas to promote energy efficiency and conservation. Commissioner Williams says Texans must conserve more, use less and develop energy alternatives to meet the state's growing energy needs.
(Trading Markets, 7/14/09) "Meeting our growing energy needsof tomorrow requires us to conserve more, use less and develop alternatives today. We can have a healthy economy and a healthy environment with pro-growth energy policies that encourage innovation and reward entrepreneurship," said Commissioner Williams, the longest-serving member of the state's energy regulatory commission.
(Denton Record Chronicle, 7/12/09) The Barnett Shale issue likely will set policy moving forward as other shales are discovered in residential areas of the country, Williams said. “We are the proving ground,” he said. “We know more about energy, and it’s important we get it right and export it.”
July 3, 2009 - Texas Maritime Museum 20th Anniversary
Texas' First Lady Anita Perry keynotes Museum's 20th anniversary (Rockport Pilot, 7/3/09) Williams noted he is happy to exit, “the People’s Republic of Travis County,” for the museum event. Going on the words of Alex Haley to “find something good and praise it,” he said, “I praise the good work of the board(s) of 20-plus years.” He credited the board, staff and volunteers for working to amass materials and create exhibits to capture history, and capture the value of resilience along the Texas coastline.
He had special words of praise for the section in the museum dedicated to oil drilling/exploration while focusing on the issues of a healthy environment.
2008 "Breathe Easy" Texas Propane School Bus Tour
May 5, Kilgore
- Check out pictures from the Kilgore Breathe Easy Tour stop
- Cleaner bus power (Tyler Morning News, 5/4/08)
- School Officials hear propane talk (Longview News Journal, 5/6/08)
- East Texas School Districts Consider Propane to Cut Fuel Costs (KLTV, 5/5/08 and KSLA, 5/5/08)
May 6, San Antonio
- Check out pictures from the San Antonio Breathe East Tour stop
- Grants available for each new propane bus purchased (School Transportation News, 5/6/08)
May 7, Beaumont and Houston
- Check out pictures from the Beaumont and Houston tour stops
- Environmentally Friendly Bus Stops in Beaumont (Beaumont Enterprise, 5/7/08)
- Buses might be taking an alternate route (Beaumont Enterprise, 5/7/08)
- RR Commission Chairman Touts Propane Powered Buses (KFDM, 5/7/08)
- Railroad Commission encouraging local school districts to invest in alternative fuel buses (KBTV, 5/7/08)
May 8, Austin
- Check out pictures from the Austin tour stop
- AISD Considers adding Propane Powered Buses (KEYE, 5/7/08)
- Propane Bus Tour Stops in Austin (News 8, 5/8/08)
- School districts consider propane buses (KXAN, 5/9/08)
May 9, Richardson and Fort Worth
Additional Events
- Williams outlines Texas plan for FutureGen (DOC) proposal at a news conference and meeting in Houston (7/18/05)
Learn more about clean power from coal from Houston Public Radio. - Railroad Commission receives $1 million in clean air grants (San Antonio Business Journal, 5/9/05)
Excerpt: "The Texas Clean Air Forklift Initiative enables forklift operators to replace their older propane, gasoline, compressed natural gas and diesel lifts with 2004-compliant propane lifts. It also provides forklift owners with financial assistance to install certified retrofit systems on their older lifts."
Related release: Commissioner Michael Williams announces clean air grant for propane forklifts (5/5/05) - Kicking the habit: Odessans hybrid SUV purchase part of a growing trend (Odessa American, 5/9/05)
Excerpt: "Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams is becoming more vocal in his support of fuel-conserving forms of transportation. In a recent interview, Williams expressed concern with Americans' seeming insatiable appetite for finite fossil fuels." - Williams test drives Ford Escape Hybrid (May 2, 2005)
The Ford Escape Hybrid has both a conventional gasoline combustion engine and an electric engine, which is used at speeds under 25 mph.
The rear cargo space is roomy, with the electric battery stored underneath.
- Williams addresses DPS Graduating Troopers on April 15, 2005:
"Irish dramatist and literary critic George Bernard Shaw once said, 'I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thorughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.' I want to talk to you for a few minutes this morning about 'community,' about our joint quest to cultivate a healthy, vibrant, loving Texas and my hope that you never lose faith or the desire to serve it." Read additional speech excerpts (PDF) - Williams presents first Houston area forklift rebate grant (4/8/05)
- Presentations from the CO2 Meeting held on April 4, 2005
- Commissioner Williams' testimony on HB 2201 before the House Committee on Regulated Industries. HB 2201 is sponsored by Rep. Bryan Hughes and relates to FutureGen. (3/29/05)
- Williams presents first DFW area forklift rebate grant. (3/11/05)
- Williams leads international trade mission to focus on economic development with Qatar, The United Arab Emirates and the Persian Gulf Region (2/21/05)
Excerpts from related articles:- A "wide spectrum of business opportunities exist in Dubai and in US for business enterprises and corporate engaged in various business activities ranging from trading in goods and commodities to manufacturing and providing professional services..." AME Info Business News (2/28/05)
- "...According to its statistics, Texas is the second-largest exporting state to the Middle East..." Middle East North Africa Financial Network (3/1/05)
- Williams visits Eastman Chemical headquarters to learn what opportunities coal gasification holds (2/21/05)
From left to right: Gary Gibbs (AEP), James Ray (Texas Eastman), Mike McCall (TXU), David Schanbacher (TCEQ), Jessica Markl (RRC), Commissioner Michael Williams, Mike Childress (Texas Eastman), Ruben Martin (Martin Resources), Dan Pearson (HillCo Partners), and Chuck McDonald (Clean Coal Technology Foundation) - Clean Coal Technology Council meets in Longview to launch FutureGen initiative (July 28, 2004)
Related articles:- East Texas good site for plant State wants to lure (Longview News-Journal, July 29, 2004)
- Testimony before the House Energy Resources Committee (PDF) on the Railroad Commission's bonding requirements for oil and gas operators (March 24, 2004)
- Commissioner Williams demostrates safety tips for frying turkeys (November 25, 2003 - News8Austin article and video)
- View the January 31, 2002 Recommendations to the Governor by the Homeland Security Task Force (PDF, 78 pages) or the Executive Summary (PDF, 9 pages)
- Energy News Live Interview on Pipeline Safety in Texas (ASF) (9/18/01). To view this video, you may need to download Windows Media Player
- Williams Addresses National Black Graduate Students Conference on Significance of Domestic Energy Production (3/29/01)
- Williams attends 9-9-99 drill at Texas' largest gas utility (9/9/99)
- Chairman Williams joins Governor George W. Bush in recognizing September as Energy Awareness Month in Texas (9/3/99)
- Industry comments about regulatory review effort (7/20/99)
- Williams, Yergin launch RRC regulatory reform effort (7/12/99)