Stretching for miles along the Texas Gulf Coast, the Houston Petrochemical Complex lights up the night sky. Oil and gas smoke stacks emit flickering flares, letting off a distant glow that can be seen from nearby communities and passing highways. Roll down a window and the air is thick with the smell of sweet plastic.
Texas has been this way for decades — a lumbering, constant giant in the global oil and gas industry. The state produced 43% of the crude oil in the United States in 2025, about 5.8 million barrels a day. From the western Panhandle to the edge of Louisiana, energy is constantly the subject of conversation, especially now as a key issue in the November midterm elections.
