Exploring the politics of the Texas Railroad commissions regulation of Research Paper

Exploring the politics of the Texas Railroad commissions regulation of texas oil and gas from 1917-1941 - Research Paper Example In the 1920s, there was a sporadic pattern of cooperation between the state and federal governments. Tensions were high in the coordination of the state activities and those of the federal government over the control of resources. Mandates of the commission The commission is the central state agency with regulatory jurisdictions over the operations of the oil and natural gas industry. It also has jurisdictions over pipeline transporters in the nation. The commission controls the operations of the natural gas and hazardous liquids industry in the country. It controls natural gas utilities and the LP gas in the nation. All coal and uranium-mining operations in the U.S. are under the commission’s mandate1. The commission controls all the research and education aimed at encouraging the use of LP gas as an alternative energy form. Its operations are under the federal legislations such as the pipeline and safety act. According to the Texas archives, the commission is the first to be set in the country2. The commission’s regulatory roles are responsible for the prevention of waste of resources. It serves to protect property rights in environment. The commission operates and maintains plat and survey maps that provide information on oil and gas reservoirs in Texas. Protection of the correlative rights of interest owners’ rights is a vital role of the commission. The commission also ensures safety in the operations of gas and oil including that of hydrogen sulfide. It has a mandate to regulate hazardous pipelines. Material and natural gas pipelines should be clean and conform to standards. Oil supplied to the population should be safe and supplied at a reasonable price. Regulation of surface coal mining is under the commission’s jurisdiction. Oil boom in Texas in the 1930s Also referred to as the Gusher age, the east Texas oil boom was a historic time of economic prosperity, experienced in the state at the onset of the 20th century3. Beaumont , Texas, experienced an escalated production level of oil after drilling companies defied the commission’s conservation orders. High oil production promoted the local economy of the state and caused escalated wealth circulation. There was massive regional development in states around Texas, as well. Oil boom promoted serious industrialization and development in the U.S. The incident was unpredicted since oil gushed out when drillers almost declared failure to discover oil. This made Texas the greatest oil producing state in the nation. In October 9, oil discovery at Kilgoire strike was a success. The oil boom effect was extensive across sectors of the economy. A crash in the stock market was a serious impact of the spill, for instance. Mass unemployment was the ultimate effect of the stock crash. Independent oil firms exploited the boom to produce massive amount of oil. National oil prices changed significantly and affected the oil market in the country. The cost of oil per b arrel dropped extensively between 1930 and 1931. Independent oil firms’ high production level destabilized the world oil markets. East Texas oil reserves produced a large a massive amount of oil comparable to the total oil production in the country. The depression turned worse in 1931 and 1932 and the Hoover administration seemed incapable to solve the situation. Farmers experienced the effects of the depression and business declined all over the nation. Regulation too

Mirrors in the art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mirrors in the art - Essay Example Mirrors were used in European art with the development of Christianity. The symbols of beauty, inner-knowledge, vanity, and fertility of the mirror are expressed. As they became more popular and more accessible, mirrors were used in self portraits and in paintings. It is an important point to make that might not be clear. As the church became the controlling facture in Europe, there started to be sub-cultures. It can be explained with music. All pieces of music were written for the church. "Folk songs" were written with the same music but with different words. As with music, the mirror was used to show two aspects: one aspect done for the church and a second aspect done for the people. The symbols and position of the mirror will be looked at in the 15 and 16th century then it will be compared to the 19th 20th century where the church no longer controlled culture across Europe. Van Eyck's, Marriage portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife . The mirror, showing 180Â ° vision of the room, shows the full window and how bright it is outside. There is a third person in the mirror. Some say it is a self portrait of Van Eyck. The frame has the scenes of Christ. This is a perfect illustration of church, fertility, light, enlightenment and the mixture of society with the Church. Diego Velazquez, the Spanish painter born in 1656, painted the scene The Maids of Honor. It shows a group of children and their servants, the child of Philip IV, the king of Spain, is watching Velazquez paint an oil canvas. The viewer has to look carefully to find the secret of the painting. On the back wall, he can see the reflexion in the mirror of a couple. He notices that there are the children looking forward and someone in the hallway who is looking in. The man and woman in the mirror are the parents of the princess, the King and Queen of Spain. Philip IV was in the last years of his life and did not want to be painted. There is speculation as if it is the royal couple being painted. Ve rmeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring shows purity. Her earring is a sign of what is going on in her world. The women in his paintings are educated, knowledgeable and enlightened. The light displayed by the earring is bright as a mirror. One can imagine seeing his own reflexion. Most of the young women in his paintings wear pearl earrings. This one has a mirror like quality. Though Degas shows his danseurs in mirrors, he has not left the impressionist school in his later painting, At the Milliner, (Lazzari & Schlesier 60). It must be noted that the woman is looking into a mirror that we cannot see. We know it is a mirror because her friend is looking away. It would have