Railroad commissioner: Oil industry must strengthen defenses against cyber attacks

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(The Center Square ) – Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian is urging the Texas oil and natural gas industry to strengthen its defenses against cyberattacks. 

“Texas is the energy capital of the world, and that makes our energy infrastructure a prime target for foreign adversaries,” Christian said. “When the cost of hesitation exceeds the cost of preparation, common sense says we act now to protect vital energy infrastructure from cyber threats. We must invest, test, monitor and strengthen our defenses now, before adversaries like China or Iran exploit a weakness and disrupt America’s energy security.”

Christian is urging oil and gas producers, pipeline operators and other energy companies to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses after cyberattacks have targeted Texas-bound energy tankers. Federal agencies have also issued warnings about foreign adversaries and malicious cyber actors (MCAs) targeting internet-facing operational technology and industrial control systems.

Earlier this year, the FBI and EPA warned that MCAs were targeting critical infrastructure asset owners and operators, including water and wastewater sector utility companies in at least seven states. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency also warned that Iranian-affiliated MCAs were targeting internet-connected operational technology devices, including programmable logic controllers across several U.S. critical infrastructure sectors.

In August, the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI boarded two foreign-flagged energy vessels bound for the U.S. after receiving “indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised,” Military Times reported. One of them, a 1,093-foot Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker, VL Prosperity, was anchored in waters near Galveston, Texas, as of last week, according to the publication. 

Iran’s Mehre News said the tanker “was targeted by a major cyberattack in the Strait of Gibraltar, and all of its communications were cut off for 30 hours.

“According to one of the ship’s crew members, the attackers infiltrated the engine-room systems, reduced the engine’s cooling flow, increased the engine speed, and disabled the ship’s fuel and engine-oil tank.”

While no group claimed responsibility for the attack, the Iranian publication pointed to Russia.

Russian hackers have taken credit for cyberattacks committed against water systems in far west Texas, The Center Square reported. The attacks were committed in the Permian Basin where record levels of oil and natural gas are being produced.

Earlier this year, the RRC issued a notice to regulated operators warning that cyberattacks could cause operational disruptions and financial losses across U.S. critical infrastructure and urged them to strengthen their cyber resilience.

“We are entering a new era of cybersecurity, and we must prepare now,” Christian said. “America’s enemies are seeking ways to weaponize AI against our critical infrastructure. We must be equally aggressive in using AI as a tool to defend it. The threats to American energy security will keep evolving, and so will we.”

The Texas Railroad Commission, Texas’ oldest regulatory agency founded in 1891, was initially created to oversee the railroad industry. Now it regulates the most important industry in the largest oil-producing state in the U.S.: the $7 trillion Texas energy industry.

The commission has both state and federal regulatory and enforcement responsibilities, regulating the industries of oil and natural gas, pipelines, coal and uranium surface mining operations. Its three commissioners are each elected to six-year staggered terms.

Christian, a Republican, was elected the 50th railroad commissioner in 2016 and was reelected in 2022. 

All three members of the commission are Republicans, including outgoing RCC Chairman Jim Wright, who lost his primary election to former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French. 

Prior to the primary, Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Wright, arguing French would “wreck” the industry that “he doesn’t know anything about.” Abbott has since called for “unity.”

Unity hasn’t happened as Republicans continue to condemn comments French makes, including most recently targeting Indian University of Texas students. French, who remains unapologetic, has largely characterized his campaign using anti-Islam rhetoric, ignoring questions about Texas-Saudi oil and gas partnerships.

His opponent, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Austin, a former 25-year oil and gas engineer, could ndefeat him in November, according to recent polls, The Center Square reported.