Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico declared that Christians were obligated to support efforts to fight climate change in a video posted to social media on March 10. [some emphasis, links added]
Talarico defeated Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March 3 Democratic primary for the party’s nomination for the United States Senate seat held by Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn.
Talarico, a former public school teacher who is currently attending a Presbyterian seminary, questioned whether those who disagreed with him on environmental policy were truly Christian in a video clip posted to X.
“You can’t call yourself a Christian and destroy God’s creation with greenhouse gases,” Talarico claimed.
On oil and gas:
JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, claimed that the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate backed Texas’s oil and gas industry.
“James doesn’t support the Green New Deal. He 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. “While DC politicians like John Cornyn kill energy projects that would lower energy costs, James will put the economic interests of Texans first – creating good jobs and lowering energy costs.”
In 2021, Talarico introduced the Texas Climate Action Act, designated HB2206, which would have required the state to create a plan to reduce emissions of so-called “greenhouse gases” to 10% of 1990 levels by 2050.
Ennis claimed the legislation was not akin to the Green New Deal in a conversation with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Oil and natural gas production contributed $385 billion to the Texas economy in 2025, RigZone.com reported, providing over 476,000 jobs. The state is also home to 14% of cattle in the United States, providing $1 billion a year in beef exports, according to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Talarico also boasted about pushing “#liberalpropaganda” about environmental issues in his classroom in a 2012 post on X, then known as Twitter.
At the same event, Talarico insinuated that those who opposed illegal immigration also did not reflect the values of Christianity.
“You can’t call yourself a Christian and reject the stranger seeking asylum at our southern border,” Talarico claimed.
Read rest at Daily Caller
