Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Wayne Christian
Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Wayne Christian on Friday praised a new report showing that operators in the Permian basin have reduced methane intensity by 50 percent since 2022, even as oil and natural gas production surged to historic highs. Commissioner Christian said the following:
“Texas’ reliable energy producers continue to prove that fossil fuel production and a clean environment can coexist. By embracing innovation and industry-driven solutions – not heavy-handed federal mandates – our state is reducing emissions while continuing to fuel America with reliable energy. As the nation’s largest producer of oil and gas, this milestone shows that we can produce affordable, reliable energy and achieve real environmental progress—without sacrificing jobs or energy security.”
“For years, radical environmentalists and the mainstream media used out-of-context flaring images, from the Permian basin, to scare average Americans and Wall Street. This fueled the false narrative of Net Zero and gave rise to ESG, which stifled oil and gas investment and left Americans with expensive and unreliable power. Thankfully, the Trump Administration has reversed Biden’s Green New Deal Agenda and prioritized increased U.S. oil and gas production.”
Background: In 2020, Christian convened a Blue Ribbon Task Force to prioritize reducing flaring and improving environmental outcomes while maintaining Texas’ role as the nation’s energy leader. The Task Force developed a comprehensive report with recommendations to minimize flaring, streamline regulatory processes, and increase transparency. Its work emphasized the importance of capturing natural gas that would otherwise be flared, leveraging new technology, and ensuring regulatory certainty to promote both economic recovery and environmental progress.
Under Christian’s leadership, Texas has achieved historic declines in flaring through improved infrastructure, better reporting, and voluntary industry action. The flaring rate in Texas dropped by 63 percent from June 2019 to May 2025. The monthly rates have consistently been below one percent, meaning more than 99% of natural gas produced in Texas is being beneficially used.
The latest report from the Texas Methane & Flaring Coalition underscores the success of these efforts, demonstrating that responsible energy development and emissions reductions are not mutually exclusive.
