There is a common phrase in the United States: Everything is bigger in Texas. While it generally references its massive trucks, houses, and high school football stadiums, it also applies to a more subtle aspect of Texas life – its oil industry. Between 2014-2024 the Texas oil industry is expected to generate $374 billion in total economic output. Its physical infrastructure contains 488,564 miles of pipelines and as of April 2024 has 296 active oil rigs in the state. In 2023 Texas produced more than 2 billion barrels of oil, massively eclipsing the next largest U.S. producer, New Mexico, which produced 667 million barrels.
However, Texas’ loyalty to fossil fuels has not prevented groups from bringing more environmentally-focused infrastructure proposals to the table.
Originally proposed in 2014, the Texas Central high-speed rail project is a multi-billion-dollar proposal seeking to link Dallas and Houston by high-speed rail and transport more than 7 million passengers annually. The entirely electric rail system would mimic the Japanese Shinkansen bullet train system, which links Japan’s major cities. The train itself would be able to achieve speeds of more than 200 miles per hour and complete the trip between Dallas and Houston in 90 minutes – a substantial reduction in the duration of driving or flying time. Furthermore, train passengers are expected to emit just 1/8th of the carbon per passenger as those taking commercial flights.
Additional prospective impacts could include: the daily reduction of more than 12,500 vehicles on Interstate 45, the saving of 65 million gallons of fuel, and an estimated 100,000-ton-per-year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. While 100,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions are a drop in the bucket in a state that is responsible for 92.8 million metric tons of carbon emissions from fuel alone, innovative solutions are increasingly arising in the public consciousness.
The project is still yet to break ground, even though it was originally slated to begin in 2021 and be completed by 2026.
The proposal faces several complications both from Texas citizens and existing regulations. Even though Texas Central meticulously planned the route to have as minimal an impact on farmland and wildlife travel as possible it is still expected to remove thousands of acres of farmland due to its construction. Though Texas Central was granted eminent domain by the Texas Supreme Court in 2023 – authorizing it to purchase land on the route as long as landowners affected are properly compensated – it is still highly controversial in the affected counties. Another delay results from compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which threatens to trigger additional environmental reviews increasing the overall cost of the project.
More recently, renewed momentum for the proposal has come after Amtrak joined the project in 2023.
Ultimately, the Texas Central high-speed rail project is a step in an innovative direction for Texas. The diversification of its transportation system will have profound impacts on multiple facets of everyday life. The decongestion of highways, significantly reduced travel time between major cities, and significant emission reductions are important for citizens of the state to be more connected and to have their quality of life advanced. This is also a major step a seemingly the inevitable shift toward more sustainable infrastructure fuels and systems. The project’s success would set the groundwork for further rail connections between major cities and related infrastructure efforts in the future.
Written by Nicholas Cheyne, Public Policy Intern
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.