RRC Commissioner Wayne Christian Selected as Vice Chairman of Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission

AUSTIN – Over the last couple weeks, Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian participated in the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) virtual annual meeting. At the meeting, Christian was selected to be Vice Chairman of the Commission, serving under Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

“I am honored to enter this new leadership role for our nation’s oldest and most respected energy compact commission,” said Christian. “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,” continued Christian. “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 wasn’t 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 bestselling 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 DOE report can be found here.

The report’s key takeaways include that the increased production of domestic oil and gas:

• Creates a significant savings to consumers
• Increased revenue for state and local governments
• More well-paying American jobs
• Revitalization of U.S. chemical manufacturing
• The creation of a world-class domestic LNG and crude export industry
• Reduced environmental footprint from increased production of natural gas with lower impact extraction technologies
• Enhanced 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, Wayne Christian was elected as our 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. Christian is married to his wife, Lisa, and together they have three daughters, Liza, Lindsey and Lauren.