“I am honored to enter this new leadership role for our nation’s oldest and most respected energy compact commission,” Christian said. “I look forward to using my role to advocate on behalf of consumers and oil and gas industry that face unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19 and unjustified political attacks.”
“We have the reserves. We have the technology. We have the long-term demand,” Christian said. “From the so-called Green New Deal to the Environmental, Social, and Governance investment movement, the oil and gas industry’s primary issues are almost entirely political.”
Christian was not the only person from the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) with a leadership role in IOGCC’s annual convention. Christian’s Chief of Staff, Travis McCormick, hosted guest speaker Alex Epstein (New York Times best-selling author of the Moral Case for Fossil Fuels) as Chairman of the Public Outreach Committee. RRC Chief Geologist, Leslie Savage, hosted guest speaker Ivan Wong (Senior Principal Seismologist, Lettis Consultants International) as Chairman of the Environment and Safety Committee.
At the meeting, Nancy Johnson with the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the release of a new report titled, “U.S. Oil and Natural Gas: Providing Energy Security and Supporting Our Quality of Life.” Johnson credited Commissioner Christian as one of the impetuses behind the decision to draft the report.
The report’s key takeaways include that the increased production of domestic oil and gas:
- Creates a significant savings to consumers
- Increases revenue for state and local governments
- Creates more well-paying American jobs
- Revitalizes U.S. chemical manufacturing
- Creates world-class domestic LNG and crude export industry
- Reduces environmental footprint from increased production of natural gas with lower impact extraction technologies
- Enhances national security
In April 2017, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Christian the official representative of Texas to IOGCC. The IOGCC is one of the oldest and largest interstate compacts in the nation, formed more than 80 years ago when several states joined together to resolve common issues in the industry without federal intervention. Membership currently consists of 31 oil producing states.
A lifelong conservative businessman, Christian was elected as the 50th Texas Railroad Commissioner in November 2016. In June 2019, Christian was elected by his fellow commissioners to lead the agency as Chairman, a position he held until September 2020.
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. In addition to his duties as Commissioner, Christian was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to serve as the Official Representative of Texas on the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
The Railroad Commission of Texas was established in 1891 under a constitutional and legislative mandate to prevent discrimination in railroad charges and establish reasonable tariffs. It is the oldest regulatory agency in the state and one of the oldest of its kind in the nation.
