June 4, 2021

By Todd Staples, President of the Texas Oil & Gas Association 

Created in Spring 2019, the Permian Road Safety Coalition (PRSC) works to make roads safer and road infrastructure better across the Permian Basin. By convening private sector companies, researchers, agencies, and concerned citizens to collaborate on improving road safety and road infrastructure, the PRSC is leveraging the collective experience, data, technology, and networks to focus on saving lives by reducing roadway injuries and fatal crashes in local communities.

PRSC recently celebrated its second anniversary and over the past two years, immense progress has been made to reduce crashes and save lives on the roads of the Permian Basin. Notably, over the past two years, the Permian Basin has seen an almost 35% reduction in road fatalities. That’s a dramatic step in the right direction.

Just last week, PRSC kicked off its $1.1 million First Responder Life-Saving Equipment Initiative. The initiative – funded by a grant from the Permian Strategic Partnership – will donate kits that include Jaws of Life, portable lighting, electronic road flares, gloves, face shield, H2S gas monitor and its respective charger. PRSC Executive Director Scott Scheffler said there will be 158 kits given to 22 counties in the Permian Basin.

Road safety is an issue of the utmost importance in the Permian Basin, and in collaboration with oil and natural gas operators, TxDOT, TxDPS and local law enforcement, PRSC’s efforts are truly making a difference in making the roads in the Permian Basin safer for all.

Since its inception, PRSC’s efforts have included encouraging personal responsibility behind the wheel, helping to provide training and information to improve road safety culture within individual companies, and a multi-million dollar initiative to provide first responders with lifesaving emergency response equipment. Because of these efforts, Texas families and communities are safer today.

It’s vitally important that we work together to keep the families and communities of the Permian Basin safe, as we know this region is the epicenter of energy for our state, our nation and, quite frankly, the world. The hard-working employees of the Texas oil and natural gas sector are providing the power and products that fuel modern life, and we must do everything we can to ensure they make it home safely to their families at the end of the day.

On behalf of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, we are so proud of the work the Permian Road Safety Coalition is doing. As these tough times have shown us, there’s nothing more important than the safety and wellbeing of our communities. A huge thanks to the Permian Road Safety Coalition, its Executive Director, Scott Scheffler, the active Board of PRSC and all of your partners for your collaborative work to make the roads in the Permian Basin safer.