The head of the Texas Oil and Gas Association said Tuesday his group agrees fossil fuels contribute to global warming and that the industry will find ways to reduce emissions.
鈥淚 think Texas is at risk if we don鈥檛 have a very real, factual-based conversation about our climate, about our environment, and about the progress that needs to be made,鈥� Todd Staples, president of TXOGA, said in a media conference call. 鈥淚 think Texas-based oil and natural gas companies are committed to making climate progress. They鈥檙e committed to a lower emissions future.鈥�
Scientists have said for more than a century that emitting carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels heats up Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. But, until recently, industry representatives and their political allies have avoided acknowledging the link publically.
Before taking over at TXOGA, Staples was Texas' agriculture commissioner. He was in 2010 to stop it from regulating greenhouse gas emissions, claiming the rules were based on 鈥渇abricated science.鈥�
Staples said his comments Tuesday were 鈥渇airly consistent鈥� with other statements he's made recently. But while he has addressed methane emissions and climate in the past, the remarks appear to be his most unambiguous linking oil and gas to global warming.
But that doesn鈥檛 mean his group will support regulation to curb emissions.
Since arriving at TXOGA, Staples has criticized the , EPA methane reduction rules and local efforts to combat warming like .
The comments come amid from the American Petroleum Institute, the country鈥檚 largest oil and gas lobby, to paint the industry as a proactive force in the fight against climate change.
The goal seems to be to highlight innovations like carbon capture technology to argue fossil fuels should remain a major energy source in a decarbonized economy.
That rebranding has been described as 鈥� 鈥� by environmental groups.
Many clean energy researchers also argue that building out renewable power generators and electrifying the transportation sector to transition away from fossil fuels is the most surefire way to avoid the increasingly catastrophic impacts of climate change.
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