Ryan Sitton

Ryan Christopher Sitton (born 1975) is a Republican politician and current Texas Railroad Commissioner at the Texas Railroad Commission. A resident of Friendswood outside Houston, Sitton has been serving on the Railroad Commission since November 4, 2014.

Ryan Sitton
Member of the Texas Railroad Commission
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 4, 2021
GovernorGreg Abbott
Preceded byBarry Smitherman
Succeeded byJim Wright
Personal details
Born
Ryan Christopher Sitton

1975 (age 45–46)
Irving, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Jennifer Sitton
Children3
EducationTexas A&M University, College Station (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Personal life and education

Sitton was raised in Irving, Texas with his three siblings by his mother and father, both high school science teachers. Sitton displayed a talent for math and science. Sitton attended Cistercian Preparatory School[1] and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University where he met his wife, Jennifer, also a mechanical engineering major.[2]

They now have three children and are active members of St. Andrews Episcopal Church.[3] In his spare time, Sitton is an avid fitness enthusiast, does P90X every day and maintains a collection of over 100,000 Legos.[4]

Business career

Sitton spent his early career working for oil and gas companies, including ALCOA, Oxy, Marathon, and Berwanger Engineering and Consulting, where he created and led the mechanical integrity division.[5] In 2006, the Sittons founded PinnacleART, an engineering and technology company.[6] PinnacleART operates on solar power with natural gas backups.[4]

Political career

2012 Texas House of Representatives race

In 2012, Sitton lost a runoff contest with fellow Republican Greg Bonnen in Galveston County for the District 24 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.[7]

Texas Railroad Commissioner
Main articles: Texas elections, 2014 § Railroad Commissioner; and 2020 Texas elections § Railroad Commission

Then-Commissioner Barry Smitherman decided to retire from office to run, unsuccessfully, for state attorney general. Sitton announced his candidacy for the Railroad Commission.

Sitton finished second in the GOP primary held on March 4, 2014, with 358,827 votes (30.5 percent), and hence qualified for the runoff slot. In the second round of balloting, Christian again polled 42.7 percent of the vote, the same as his primary tabulation in a field of four candidates.[8] Sitton, however, increased his total from the primary to the runoff election by nearly 27 percentage points, attributed to strong fundraising from industry professionals.

The Houston Chronicle endorsed Sitton over Christian on May 12, prior to the runoff election.[9] Sitton also carried the backing of outgoing Texas Land Commissioner Jerry E. Patterson, who lost his own bid for lieutenant governor in the March 4 primary.

Sitton polled 398,652 votes (57.3 percent) to Christian's 297,654 (42.7 percent).[10] Sitton outspent Christian by a large amount.[11]

Sitton faced Steve Brown, a Democratic businessman from Houston, Libertarian Party candidate Mark Miller, and Green Party candidate Martina Salinas.[12] Sitton won the general election with 58% of the vote.[13]

Sitton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, succeeding outgoing Commissioner Barry Smitherman.[14][15] He is the first mechanical engineer to serve on the Commission in 50 years.[16][4]

In December 2016, Sitton praised President Donald Trump's choice for EPA head, Scott Pruitt, predicting that Trump and Pruitt's reduction of federal regulations would lead to an oil boom.[4]

In 2017, Sitton voted in favor of Exxon Mobil in a regulation issue. He did not, however, disclose that Exxon Mobil is a client of his company, PinnacleART. [17]

In 2019, Sitton was passed over for Railroad Commission chairman, a break from tradition since the incumbent closest to re-election is usually chosen.[18]

In 2020, Sitton lost the Republican primary for reelection to Jim Wright, despite having the support of the Texas governor, lieutenant governor, and both of the state's senators. Sitton's campaign had raised $2 million more than Wright's $13,000 campaign.[19][20]

Sitton played a significant role in the 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war.[21][22]

In 2020, Sitton returned to work as CEO at PinnacleART.

Awards
  • 2015: Houston Business Journal's 40 under 40 list.[27]
  • 2015: Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, Texas A&M University.[28]
  • 2016: Hearst Energy Award for Government Service.[29]

References
  1. "Fall 2010 Continuum" (PDF).
  2. "About Ryan". Ryan Sitton for Texas Railroad Commissioner. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  3. "Commissioner Ryan Sitton". Oil & Gas Awards. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  4. Helman, Christopher. "Texas Oil Regulator: Trump EPA Pick Is Good At 'Breaking Down Worthless Organizations.'" Forbes. Dec. 9, 2016.
  5. "About Ryan". Ryan Sitton for Texas Railroad Commissioner. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  6. "Our History - Pinnacle Advanced Reliability Technologies". Pinnacle Advanced Reliability Technologies. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  7. "2012 Republican runoff election returns (House District 24)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  8. "Republican primary election returns, March 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  9. For Railroad Commission: Ryan Sitton,Houston Chronicle, May 12, 2014.
  10. Texas GOP Picks Ryan Sitton as Railroad Commissioner, KXAS-TV, May 27, 2014.
  11. Grissom, Brandi. Tea Party Conservatives Win Top GOP Runoff Contests, Texas Tribune, May 28, 2014.
  12. News App: The 2014 Election Brackets, Texas Tribune, May 29, 2014.
  13. "Office of the Secretary of State 2014 General Election Election Night Returns". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  14. (January 5, 2015) - "Ryan Sitton Sworn In as Railroad Commissioner". KVUE.com. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  15. (January 5, 2015) - "Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton Sworn-In". Weatherford Democrat. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  16. "About Ryan – Ryan Sitton". ryansitton.com. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  17. "How blind is this Texas oil regulator's blind trust, managed by his brother-in-law?". Dallas News. February 6, 2017.
  18. Price, Asher. "Why Railroad commissioners broke with tradition and skipped over Ryan Sitton for top spot". Austin American-Statesman.
  19. Platoff, Emma (March 4, 2020). "Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton concedes Republican primary in surprising upset". The Texas Tribune.
  20. "Upset: Incumbent Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton Ousted by Newcomer". The Texas Observer. March 4, 2020.
  21. "A Lame-Duck Regulator Who Became the Face of Shale in Oil Wars". April 4, 2020 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  22. Chapa, Sergio (March 20, 2020). "Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton invited to OPEC's June meeting". Chron.
  23. "2014 Republican Party Primary Runoff, Election Night Returns". Office of the Secretary of State. Austin, Texas: State of Texas. May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  24. "Race Summary Report, 2014 Republican Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State. Austin, Texas: State of Texas. March 4, 2014. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  25. "2014 Republican Party Primary Runoff, Election Night Returns". Office of the Secretary of State. Austin, Texas: State of Texas. July 31, 2012. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  26. "Race Summary Report, 2012 Republican Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State. Austin, Texas: State of Texas. May 29, 2014. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  27. "HBJ reveals the 2014 40 Under 40 winners". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  28. Communications, Texas A&M Engineering (2015-04-02). "Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Alumni Visit | News & Events | College of Engineering". engineering.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  29. "20th annual annual Hearst Energy Awards winners". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
Political offices
Preceded by
Barry Smitherman		 Member of the Texas Railroad Commission
2015–2021		 Succeeded by
Jim Wright
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