Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) is facing tough questions about his energy record after Republicans have highlighted a bill he introduced that would have pushed Texas toward near-net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Critics claim that legislation could have crippled the state’s oil and gas industry.
Talarico’s Texas Climate Action Act (HB 2206) from the 87th Legislative Session in 2021 was introduced but died in committee.
Talarico’s Failed Climate Action Act Draws Fresh Fire from RNC Over Economic Risks
The Republican National Committee (RNC) released opposition research spotlighting Talarico’s 2021 Texas Climate Action Act, including his past comments praising Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for her climate policies and his claim that “ignoring climate change will cost billions.”
As @AOC said here last week, this is about “creating prosperity.”
Ignoring climate change will cost billions. This storm is the costliest weather event in Texas history.
Fighting climate change will create new jobs, new businesses, new technologies, and new industries.
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) February 24, 2021
Because Texas emissions have grown substantially in the last 2 or 3 decades alone, the actual cuts needed could have been much steeper. While the bill doesn’t outright ban gasoline cars or oil and gas operations, it targets new regulations that could have put the industry under serious pressure, at least according to its opponents.
“It Will Be a Cold Day in Hell”
RNC spokesman Zack Kraft didn’t sugarcoat his opinion:
“It is insulting James Talarico thinks he can hide his plan to kill two million energy jobs in the state by saying that he attended public schools,” Kraft told The Dallas Express. “It will be a cold day in Hell before the Lone Star State elects a candidate who led a mini Green New Deal and bragged about being a vegan.”
When first asked about the bill, the Talarico campaign pointed to his Texas roots. Talarico spokesman JT Ennis told The Dallas Express that growing up in the Lone Star State gave Talarico a clear appreciation for the oil and gas industry’s vital role in the state’s economy.
“James went to public schools funded by the oil and gas industry and knows how essential oil and gas is to Texas’ economy – it’s why he supports an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy so Texas can remain a leader in oil and gas, wind, solar, geothermal, and more,” Ennis said. “James will always put the economic interests of Texans first – creating good jobs and lowering energy costs.”
RNC Warns Texas Republicans: Talarico’s “Existential Climate Crisis” Rhetoric Endangers State’s Energy Economy
RNC flagged past statements from Talarico that could raise more eyebrows among the Lone Star State’s republican voters. He previously said that “you cannot call yourself a Christian and destroy God’s creation with greenhouse gases” and pledged to make his 2022 legislative campaign “vegan“ in response to what he called an “existential climate crisis.”
The political stakes in this fight are clear. Texas leads the nation in oil and gas jobs, with over 475,000 people working directly in the industry – nearly a quarter of all such jobs in the entire country, per RigZone. When you include the jobs supported across the broader economy, that number jumps to about 2.5 million.
In 2025, the industry alone generated $385 billion in “direct economic output,” making up 36% of Texas’s entire economy. The state also ranked first in employment across 16 of the 19 sectors that make up the oil and gas industry.
