In 2019, Texas’ oil and gas industry set production records, accounting for roughly 30 percent of the state’s economy. In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, oil and gas company bankruptcies have risen 62 percent compared to last year.

“It’s hard to predict what will happen next, but the industry has seen downturns before, so they’re no stranger to bouncing back stronger than ever,” said Commissioner Wayne Christian of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry.

In the meantime, Christian and the RRC continue to address the industry’s biggest challenges, including ways to reduce flaring without causing hardships for the state’s oil and gas companies.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the RRC’s responsibilities include oversight of gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining. Despite its name, the agency no longer regulates railroads.

Christian was elected to a six-year term as RRC’s 50th Commissioner in 2016. Governor Greg Abbott also appointed him as the state’s official representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, one of the nation’s oldest and largest interstate compacts working to resolve common issues.

Previously, voters in Deep East Texas elected Christian to seven terms in the state House of Representatives, where he served as Vice Chair of Regulated Industries and as a multi-term member of the Energy Resource Committee, with direct oversight of the RRC.

“I chose to run for Railroad Commissioner because I wanted to continue giving back to the state that I love,” Christian said. “I love public service.”

Born and raised in Tenaha, Texas, Christian graduated high school as valedictorian, then in 1973 earned a bachelor’s degree in General Business from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. From 1979 to 1985, he performed with his country/gospel band, the Mercy River Boys. The band was a finalist for a Grammy Award in 1979.

Eventually, “Life gets busy, families start growing, and life on the road just isn’t possible anymore,” he said.

In his interview with Texas Contractor, Christian shares the lessons he learned throughout his career, the pandemic’s impact on the oil and gas industry, and priorities for the RRC moving forward.

If you always work for someone else, you never make more money than your boss. That advice really opened my eyes to entrepreneurship and the opportunity to forge my own path. Since 1987, my wife and I have operated Wayne Christian Financial Services, and I’ve loved every minute of it.The Reverend Dr. Henry Blackaby taught me it’s the “nobodies from nowhere” that God uses to do his will.The industry has been hit incredibly hard by the ongoing pandemic. For perspective, the Railroad Commission issued 451 drilling permits in August 2020, compared to 960 in August 2019. Many oil and gas companies have been forced to either slow down or stop production. With demand for oil down with travel restrictions, working remotely, and delayed re-openings, many predict that U.S. fuel consumption will be slow to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. Worst of all, the pandemic has put thousands of hard-working individuals out of work throughout the state’s oil and gas industry. I think flaring – the burning of unwanted natural gas produced from an oil well – is a big issue for the industry right now. Most flaring occurs when the well is first drilled, during facility maintenance, or during unplanned events. It also happens when there’s no pipeline available to transport natural gas. Flaring can be necessary to avoid shutting down oil wells, which would be expensive for the producers and consumers. However, flaring also can waste natural resources and cause unnecessary pollution in certain situations. The bottom line is that a solution needs to be found to reduce flaring in Texas without hurting oil and gas companies. That way there would be less waste and pollution, and the oil and gas industry could continue to power the Texas economy.

In June, the RRC heard from the state’s oil and gas trade associations, environmental advocacy groups, and several oil and gas producers about how Texas can implement meaningful reforms to reduce flaring before oil and gas activity returns to previous highs. Our staff took that information and is working on a plan of action.

With the Texas legislative session convening in January, our focus will be to work with the legislature to make sure the agency has the resources needed to do its job well. We’ll also continue working with industry to reduce flaring in Texas and improve the agency’s information technology.