The Texas Carbon Management Roadmap | Background + FAQs

The $150 Billion Question: Will Texas Build Tomorrow's Carbon Economy?

A new Roadmap charts how the state that revolutionized U.S. energy can lead the next transformation

Texas stands at an inflection point. The same geology that made it the center of American oil and gas—vast underground formations, an unrivaled pipeline network, a workforce that knows how to move molecules at scale—now positions the state to capture a new industry: carbon management. The National Petroleum Council projects $15 to $150 billion in investment flowing into Texas carbon capture, transport, and storage by 2050. The question isn't whether this industry is coming. It's whether Texas will take the lead.

The Texas Carbon Management Roadmap, developed by the Great Plains Institute with support from the Austin-based Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, is the latest comprehensive framework to answer that question. Drawing on input from nearly 100 stakeholders—industry leaders, policymakers, environmental advocates, community voices, and technical experts—the Roadmap provides a near-term action plan for coordinated state, policy, industry, and community effort to deploy carbon management technologies responsibly while sustaining economic growth, protecting public health, and supporting Texas's energy workforce.

The Story

This is about Texas at a crossroads. Global demand for low-carbon products is surging, and the state's energy establishment is racing to lead a new carbon industry. But carbon management has drawn unusual allies—and unusual opposition. Some climate advocates see it as essential; some in oil and gas see it as a threat. Meanwhile, communities are caught in the middle, demanding safeguards, transparency, and accountability. It's an opportunity and a tension—political, economic, and cultural—that will define Texas energy infrastructure for decades and likely determine the national model. The Roadmap doesn't pick sides—it charts a smart, pragmatic path forward.

No other state has this combination:

-Thousands of miles of CO₂ and hydrogen pipelines—the largest network in the nation, ready to scale

-1,655 billion metric tons of geological storage capacity—onshore and offshore formations ideal for permanent CO₂ sequestration

-An energy workforce with the engineering talent and operational expertise to deploy new technologies at scale

-Advanced energy leadership—first in wind and solar—growing battery energy storage systems and the potential for accelerating the state's low-carbon transition through advanced nuclear, geothermal, and natural gas with carbon capture, utilization and storage (NG+CCUS)

-Industrial clusters in refining, petrochemicals, and steel are already positioned for carbon capture integration

Why Now?

Federal incentives—including enhanced Section 45Q tax credits—have opened a window of opportunity. Private capital is already flowing. Projects are in development. Texas has already taken important steps, but without positive coordinated state action, Texas risks fragmented permitting, community opposition, workforce shortages, and missed federal funding. Other Gulf Coast states are advancing proactive policies. Texas can either set the standard or watch it be set elsewhere.

The Roadmap recommends immediate priorities

-Strengthening Texas’s competitiveness by modernizing and expanding existing state incentives, commissioning comprehensive economic analyses, and leveraging federal funding opportunities

-Ensuring permitting certainty and regulatory readiness for CO₂ storage by supporting Class VI implementation, monitoring RRC staffing and funding needs, clarifying permitting timelines, and exploring long-term liability approaches

-Building public confidence through safety and transparency by expanding access to safety information, monitoring the need for seismic response areas, and aligning with recommended pipeline safety practices

-Supporting coordinated, responsible deployment through improvements in public engagement, better access to project information, and clear expectations for communication with communities

-Preparing Texas's workforce for new energy and industrial opportunities through statewide analyses, regional workforce mapping, new apprenticeship pathways, and reskilling programs

The Stakes

Hundreds of millions of metric tons of CO₂ captured and stored by midcentury. Tens of thousands of jobs in construction, operations, and supply chain. A strengthened position in low-emission fuels and industrial products for domestic and global markets. A generational opportunity—but only if Texas can scale properly and fast enough to seize it.

The Mitchell Paradox

George Mitchell, the Texas wildcatter who pioneered hydraulic fracturing, helped transform the American energy landscape. That same spirit of innovation now positions Texas to lead in carbon management and other advanced energy technologies. The Mitchell Foundation's support for this Roadmap reflects that paradox—and a wager that the ingenuity which unlocked a new era in American energy can do the same for a low-carbon future, with CGMF serving as honest broker in charting the path forward.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is carbon management, and why is it essential for Texas’s energy and industrial future?

A. Carbon management includes technologies and practices that capture, transport, use, and securely store carbon dioxide from industrial and energy facilities, as well as processes that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. For Texas, carbon management is a practical strategy to strengthen the state’s energy leadership, safeguard the competitiveness of core industries, and support long-term economic growth. With major sectors such as refining, chemicals, natural gas processing, hydrogen, and electricity generation facing market and customer pressure to reduce emissions, carbon management presents a pathway to sustain the strength of these industries while attracting new investment and high-quality jobs.

Q. What is the Texas Carbon Management Roadmap, and what does it contain?

A. The Roadmap serves as a reference for understanding Texas’s carbon management landscape and provides a clear and practical framework for how Texas can support the deployment of responsible carbon management in the near term. It outlines Texas’s opportunities and challenges and identifies the policy, regulatory, workforce, and infrastructure steps needed to scale projects safely and economically. It includes a statewide assessment of CO₂ sources and storage potential, modeling of near- and longer-term capture and storage scenarios, and analysis of workforce needs, permitting timelines, and investment barriers. It also recommends actions to strengthen regulatory clarity, enhance community engagement and transparency, and support emerging opportunities such as DAC, hydrogen with carbon capture and storage, and carbon utilization. The Roadmap is designed to guide planning, investment, and coordinated action across Texas.

Q. How was the Texas Carbon Management Roadmap developed, and who contributed to its creation?

A. The Great Plains Institute developed the Roadmap with support from the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. It is based on extensive technical analysis, modeling, and policy review, along with engagement from nearly 100 stakeholders across Texas, including representatives from industry, academia, labor, community organizations, environmental and energy nonprofits, and government agencies. Their insights helped ensure the recommendations included in the Roadmap addressed local perspectives, showcased practical solutions, and reflected real-world deployment considerations.

Q. How can Texas leverage the Roadmap?

A. Texas stakeholders can use the Roadmap as a practical starting point for coordinated discussion and decision-making among agencies, industry, communities, and economic development organizations. In the near term, the Roadmap outlines options to strengthen regulatory certainty, enhance safety and transparency, support agency capacity, and attract early investment. Over the longer term, it provides a structured framework for planning infrastructure, workforce development, and industrial growth as market conditions and technologies evolve. The recommended Texas Carbon Management Policy Council is one example of how the state could use the Roadmap as a launching point to coordinate action, evaluate emerging opportunities, and ensure projects move forward responsibly and with public confidence.

Q. How does the Roadmap build on ongoing work in Texas to ensure that carbon management projects protect public health, address community concerns, and increase transparency?

A. Texas has already begun work to prepare for increased carbon management activity, including efforts to strengthen permitting processes, engage with stakeholders, and build agency capacity for reviewing projects. The Roadmap builds on this ongoing work by identifying additional opportunities to support public health and safety, increase transparency, and increase community engagement as deployment grows. It outlines options to improve information access, support clearer project communication, expand agency resources, and coordinate across state entities. These recommendations are intended to complement Texas’s current efforts and provide a framework to help the state, industry, and communities navigate carbon management development in a responsible, collaborative way.

For more information
Brett Holmes
Director, Strategic Communications
The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
bholmes@CGMF.org
(713) 244-4178

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