UTEP professor named staff seismologist for state Railroad Commission

A University of Texas at El Paso professor has been named the new staff seismologist for the Railroad Commission of Texas, the agency announced Tuesday. 

Aaron Velasco is a professor of geological sciences and UTEP’s current director of interdisciplinary initiatives. He will continue to perform those roles while serving with the Railroad Commission. Velasco replaces outgoing seismologist Craig Pearson, who served as the commission’s first-ever seismologist since 2014.

In his new role, Velasco will be charged with reviewing disposal well permit applications in areas of historic seismicity to ensure proper requirements are in place to prevent or minimize the potential for induced seismic activity. Velasco also will serve on the Governor’s Technical Advisory Committee for the TexNet Seismic Monitoring Program, which is run by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. Velasco also will be an adviser to the Railroad Commission on issues and policy related to seismic activity and energy production in Texas. 

Velasco’s salary was not available. His predecessor’s annual salary was $102,000. 

“The Railroad Commission is considered a global leader in energy regulation, and I’m honored to serve my fellow Texans and this historic agency as seismologist,” Velasco said in a statement. “I share the agency’s mission to protect public safety and the environment. I will do that by putting my years of experience and research in seismology and understanding to work for Texas.”

Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick had high praise for Velasco.

“I congratulate Dr. Velasco on his selection as our new staff seismologist at the Railroad Commission of Texas,” Craddick said in a statement. “His expertise in the study of seismology will be an asset to the agency and the state.”

UTEP President Diana Natalicio echoed those sentiments, adding that Velasco’s hiring boosts the school’s profile.

“Dr. Velasco’s expertise in seismology and geology will enable him to contribute unique and valuable perspectives to the work of the Railroad Commission of Texas,” Natalicio said. “In addition to their teaching and research, UTEP faculty members like Dr. Velasco help inform public policy issues at local, state and national levels and validate UTEP’s growing reputation as a public research university.”

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Velasco’s career has spanned nearly 25 years. His research has comprised a slew of seismological subjects such as earthquake source modeling, seismotectonics, earthquake hazards and nuclear treaty monitoring research. Velasco earned his Bachelor of Science in applied geophysics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1988. He earned his doctoral degree in geophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1993. He began working at UTEP as a faculty member in 2002. 

The Railroad Commission is the state’s oldest regulatory agency. Established in 1891, the commission regulates the state’s oil and gas industry and has jurisdiction over alternative fuels safety, natural gas utilities, surface mining and intrastate pipelines. 

Pablo Villa may be reached at 546-6345; pvilla@elpasotimes.com; @pvilla50 on Twitter.