The Oil & Gas Industry Impacts on Groundwater

Online. Free.
Sierra Club: Water for People & Environment Committee Virtual: Impacts of the Oil & Gas Industry on Groundwater in Texas.
Impacts of the Oil & Gas Industry on Groundwater in Texas This is the Water for People & Environment Committee’s meeting for all Texans interested in water issues, advocacy, organizing and networking.

Speaker: Virginia Palacious, Founder and Executive Director of Commission Shift

What happens when oil and gas wells stop producing? This presentation will explore how produced water and aging oil and gas infrastructure can affect groundwater and discuss the policies and regulatory approaches that influence how these issues are addressed in Texas.

Virginia Palacios is the Founder and Executive Director of Commission Shift, a Texas-based public advocacy organization transforming the state oil and gas agency by working with and for the people of Texas to create pathways for shared governance. Virginia’s work focuses on ensuring that individuals and families living among oil and gas infrastructure can prevent pollution and safety hazards through public participation at the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC). Palacios has co-authored several peer-reviewed studies on oil and gas methane emissions and environmental justice impacts as well as reports proposing solutions for addressing orphaned wells, venting and flaring, and ethical conflicts at the RRC. Approaching her work through a lens of equity, Virginia seeks to eliminate disparities in public health outcomes that occur on the basis of race, ethnicity or income. She holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University.

Please register here: SC Water for People & Env. Comm: The Oil & Gas Industry Impacts on Groundwater, Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 6:30 PM | Meetup

Please use the following AT Code: AT: Online Training; TMN AT Report hours