Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian has called for future Class VI carbon capture and underground sequestration (CCUS) permits in Texas to be subject to a public vote by the Railroad Commissioners. This follows the administrative approval of Oxy Low Carbon Ventures’ permit earlier this month, which did not involve a vote from the commissioners.
“I do not support the issuance of this permit, which was approved administratively without a vote by the Commissioners,” said Commissioner Wayne Christian. “Carbon capture projects like this are taxpayer-funded boondoggles—no better than solar panels or windmills—and conservatives should not be playing along with the left’s climate agenda. Future Class VI permits in Texas should come before the Commissioners for a public vote.”
Christian expressed concern that granting such permits without commissioner votes sets a precedent involving significant taxpayer subsidies and complex applications. He has consistently opposed government subsidies for energy production, arguing that only technologies that can succeed without financial support from taxpayers are viable.
“As an energy regulator, my position is simple: I am agnostic on innovation but categorically opposed to corporate welfare,” continued Christian. “If a technology is viable, it shouldn’t need subsidies; and if it needs subsidies, it’s not viable.”
He also referenced federal policy shifts regarding carbon dioxide regulation. The Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing whether to roll back the 2009 CO₂ “Endangerment Finding” established under President Obama, which classified CO₂ as harmful to public health and formed the basis for regulating it as a pollutant.
Christian questioned what he sees as inconsistency in federal actions: “If the EPA is truly reevaluating whether CO₂ is even harmful, then why is it simultaneously greenlighting massive carbon capture projects built around the premise that CO₂ must be eradicated to meet arbitrary Net Zero goals? That contradiction undermines both scientific credibility and regulatory consistency. I have faith in President Trump and hope that he will see these carbon capture projects for what they are: taxpayer-funded corporate welfare.”
He pointed to previous failed CCUS initiatives in Texas, such as Petra Nova, which opened in 2017 but shut down three years later when market conditions changed and federal funding ended. Petra Nova only resumed operations after new federal subsidies were introduced through recent legislation including President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Christian argues these types of projects depend on government intervention rather than economic viability or environmental benefit.
“Texans deserve openness when their government approves billion-dollar projects that reshape our economy, our land, and our energy future,” Christian concluded. “Permits like this—hundreds of pages of legal jargon, permanent in nature, and bankrolled by taxpayer debt—should never be approved behind closed doors. Hard-working Texans should at least have a seat at the table.”