Elizabeth Ames Jones, appointed to the commission last year and now serving as chairwoman, says she belongs on the board that regulates the oil industry because she grew up in the oil patch. Her childhood as the daughter of a successful oil man in San Antonio may be a few hundred miles from the heart of the oil industry, but her experience as former chairman of the House Energy Resources Committee does give her a leg up on the issues.

Republican Elizabeth Ames Jones is deserving of a full six-year term after being appointed to this position in 2005. She has several factors working in her favor, not the least of which is that she has served five years as a state representative out of San Antonio and knows how to work with the Legislature.

Appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to fill a vacancy on the commission, Jones seeks election to a full term. She served three terms as a state representative and now chairs the Railroad Commission. If elected, Jones says, she will balance the need for more energy production with the duty to protect the environment.

Railroad Commissioner: Elizabeth Ames Jones, Republican. She has performed well for the past year as an appointee and has earned election to a new term.

Elizabeth Ames Jones deserves your vote for railroad commissioner. (The Railroad Commission is that strangely named state agency that has nothing to do with railroads, but has everything to do with al

Republican Elizabeth Ames Jones is the incumbent. Her opponents are Democrat Dale Henry and Libertarian Tabitha Serrano.

Ms. Jones has served almost a year as Railroad Commission chairwoman and she has a strong public-service background including three terms in the Texas House representing San Antonio. She also served on the oil and gas regulatory commission, including the chairmanship for several months.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, who was appointed to the job in early 2005, deserves a full term.

The former San Antonio state representative understands the energy business and the commission's role in regulating the state's oil and gas sector.

The Railroad Commission regulates the state's oil and gas industry, but got its name from its origins as a regulator of railroads. With oil and natural gas drilling on the rise as a result of high energy prices and the Barnett Shale boom in North Central Texas, Railroad Commission Chairman Elizabeth Ames Jones, 49, wisely foresees the need for more commission field personnel to better inspect and monitor the activity.

Despite its name, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission has no connection to regulating railroads. The agency, however, has a powerful role in regulating oil and gas production and pipelines.

Elizabeth A. Jones, the Republican candidate, is the Editorial Board's choice. Jones, a former San Antonio legislator, was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the commission last year, and she is now chairman. She is only the fourth woman on the commission, and, if elected, would be only the second woman to be voted onto it. As former chairman of the House Energy Resources Committee, she is well acquainted with energy issues and energy public policy. Her focus, she says, is to put "boots on the ground" in the agency's field offices, where inspection and oversight is enforced, rather than in Austin administrative offices.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 1, 2006 — Today, Chairman Elizabeth Ames Jones released a list of Texas statewide officeholders endorsing her candidacy for a full term on the Railroad Commission of Texas(RRC). Jones is the Chairman of the 3-member commission. The RRC oversees the Texas oil and gas industry and gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the propane industry, and surface mining of coal and uranium.