Due to this shift, the commission has implemented different technologies and IT modernization efforts to meet its current responsibilities.
Below is a breakdown of the commission’s most recent efforts and what it aims to achieve next.
For context, “there are approximately 970 staff at the RRC,” a commission spokesperson said via email. “About 115 are in Information Technology Services (ITS).”
Over the past three years, ITS has “been heavily involved in continuing technology modernization efforts that include mainframe transformation, and inspection enforcement tracking and reporting programs,” the spokesperson added.
As for specific projects, ITS has deployed two online portals – one to provide access to agency case information and another to upload pipeline safety records – a LoneSTAR system for organizational reports, a data warehouse infrastructure, an events management system, an electricity supply chain map and an array of new applications.
As for what the commission looks to tackle in the next 12 months, the agency’s spokesperson pointed to four projects:
- Implementing a next set of applications in the state’s LoneSTAR system, including online forms for P-18 (Skim Oil), R-3 (Gas Plants), T-1 (Transporters)
- Adding a new system to address environmental permitting activities
- Decommissioning five mainframe applications in order to transition them into modern platforms
- Maintaining and supporting existing systems and platforms by enhancing their security posture and providing necessary updates
For more information about the commission and how it does business, visit https://www.rrc.texas.gov/about-us#business.
