Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman has been chosen by the nonprofit National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) to lead its committee on natural gas.

A former co-vice chairman of the panel, Smitherman replaces outgoing Chairman Timothy Alan Simon, whose term at the California Public Utilities Commission expired this year.

NARUC's gas committee aims to build awareness of barriers to the safe transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas.

"With the expansion of hydraulic fracturing technologies, gas is becoming the key fuel source driving the country's economic engine," NARUC President Philip Jones said in a statement. "As natural gas use expands, we must make sure it is delivered safely, reliably and affordably to consumers across the country. Traditional regulatory silos are coming down as gas becomes the fuel of choice for power generation. Therefore, the NARUC gas and electricity committees need to coordinate closely. Chairman Smitherman and his leadership team have the skills to do this."

Smitherman has served on the Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in Texas, since July 2011 and was elected chairman by his colleagues in February 2012. Before joining the commission, he worked for the Public Utility Commission of Texas, serving as its chairman from 2007 to 2012.

During his time with the Railroad Commission, Smitherman has been outspoken about the potential for new regulations to stifle growth in Texas' shale plays (EnergyWire, April 16, 2012).

In the state's Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, oil and natural gas production has exploded, due to advances in hydraulic fracturing technology and horizontal drilling. But critics of fracking say the oil and gas extraction process, which uses injections of chemical-laden fluids to crack open fuel-soaked shale rocks, could pollute groundwater and have called for increased oversight of the technique.

"Natural gas already plays a central role in our energy resource mix, and this role will only grow as gas usage expands," Smitherman said. "Thanks to new technologies, gas prices are affordable and gas is an abundant domestic source of energy; however, we must use it prudently, safely and reliably. The committee on gas will explore numerous issues, including pipeline safety, electricity interdependencies, use of natural gas for transportation, [liquefied natural gas] exporting and much more."

Jones reappointed Todd Snitchler of Ohio and selected Paul Roberti of Rhode Island to serve as co-vice chairmen of the gas committee. Roberti will retain his position as a leader of the NARUC Task Force on Pipeline Safety.