In 2020 Forum, James Talarico Said Texas Oil Was ‘Not Gonna Last,’ Called Capitalism ‘Oppressive’
Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck
CNN
September 1, 2026
Six years before becoming Texas Democrats’ US Senate nominee, James Talarico described capitalism as an “oppressive system” during a Sierra Club event, grouping it with White supremacy and climate change and saying ending the ways all three worked together was necessary to begin the process of “dismantling them.”
During the Sierra Club event from September 2020, Talarico participated in a virtual climate candidate forum in which he also compared Texas’ leadership in the oil and gas industry to “being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s,” declaring “that industry is not gonna last.”
The previously unreported comments come at a time when Talarico is trying to broaden his appeal as he’s faced attacks from Republicans trying to paint him as too progressive for Texas…
Talarico’s remarks offer a window into the more explicitly progressive language he used before launching a statewide campaign built around affordability, faith and taking on wealthy interests.
At the time, Talarico was a 31-year-old state representative seeking reelection for a second term in the Texas House. The forum was hosted by the Austin chapter of the Sierra Club, which featured four other candidates running for the Texas House.
When asked what lawmakers could do to address the disproportionate effects of climate change on communities of color, Talarico thanked the moderator for the question and the young activists at the club for the way they had framed the issue.
“I am so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and White supremacy and capitalism in our country,” Talarico said. “And I think only ending the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we gonna be able to begin the process of dismantling them.”
Later, when asked how he explains climate policy to voters in a district President Donald Trump carried in 2016, Talarico said he focused on values, jobs and whether Texas would lead the industries of the future — a future he suggested would not include oil and gas.
“We all know that Texas has been a leader in oil and gas, but in many ways that’s like being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s,” Talarico later said responding to another question. “That industry is not gonna last. And if we wanna ensure we have an economy that’s gonna work for our children and our children’s children, we gotta be ahead of the curve and Texas has to lead instead of follow on this issue.”
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After the state’s massive power grid failure in 2021 killed hundreds of Texans, Talarico introduced a bill in the state house to combat climate change by requiring the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and at least 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The bill died in committee.
Republicans have likened the bill to the progressive Green New Deal…
Texas oil and gas production has increased since Talarico’s 2020 remarks and meets or exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
As a college student at the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, Talarico was part of a group of students who lobbied the city of Austin as a student government representative to divest from a coal-powered power plant.
At a press conference for the event, Talarico said the student government passed a resolution supporting the divestment. “It was a great success for environmentalists on campus, and also students who want to pay less for their energy bills and who want a sustainable economy and a green-collar economy when they come out of college.”
Read more here.
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