In March President Donald Trump signed the Congressional Review Act (CRA) repeal of the Biden administration’s natural gas tax. This legislative action nullifies the methane fee imposed by the Biden administration on oil and natural gas production, which would have driven up costs to producers and American consumers.
“President Trump’s overturning of Biden’s natural gas tax is one of the many actions his administration has taken to set America back on course toward American Energy Dominance,” said Commissioner Wayne Christian. “During his first term, President Trump led a reliable energy resurgence which gave us energy independence and a roaring economy—and he’s teeing up to do it again. This tax would have been the death knell for small ‘mom and pop’ operators, who produce more than 83 percent of America’s oil and gas. I want to congratulate the President, Senator John Hoeven, and Congressman August Pfluger on this monumental achievement which defends independent producers—the backbone of American oil and gas.”
For Texas, this legislation is vital. As the nation’s largest producer of oil and gas, Texas is the source for America’s reliable energy. If the Lone Star State were its own country, Texas would be the world’s third largest producer of gas and fourth largest producer of oil. The industry is vital to the state’s economic success bringing in billions of dollars to benefit the State and supports about 38 percent of the overall economy. Texas also represents about one-third of the nation’s LNG exports. With growing global demand for LNG, Texas catapulted America to be the world’s top LNG exporter.
Christian continued, “Last year, Biden’s own EPA said the quiet part out loud that the industry is already mitigating methane emissions, revealing that the true motive behind the tax all along was to squeeze the life out of the oil and gas industry. Radical environmentalists love to pick and choose ‘science’ that justifies their ‘sky is falling’ narrative, which is that the world is ending and fossil fuels are to blame. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, just like they like to ignore the fact that EPA regulated emissions are down 78 percent in the last 50 years.”
In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that methane emissions from the largest oil and natural gas-producing basins fell 44 percent between 2011-2013; and also dropped in seven oil and natural gas-producing basins by up to 87 percent from 2019-2023.
Wayne Christian
A lifelong conservative businessman, Wayne Christian was elected as our 50th Texas Railroad Commissioner in November 2016. Prior to his time at the Commission, Christian served seven sessions in the Texas House of Representatives, accumulating a strong record of standing for free markets and against burdensome regulations. Christian is married to his wife, Lisa, and together they have three daughters, Liza, Lindsey and Lauren.