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Jim Wright's Press Room

News Items - 2025

• Wright Elected Chairman of Railroad Commission

  June 17, 2025
  

  AUSTIN – At today’s open meeting of the Railroad Commission of Texas, Commissioner Jim Wright was unanimously elected to serve as Chairman of the Commission. Following the vote, Chairman Wright released the following statement: 

  “It is a high honor to serve the citizens of Texas as Railroad Commissioner and a true privilege to be able to do so alongside my two highly accomplished and devoted colleagues, Commissioners Craddick and Christian. I want to thank them for their dedication to the residents of our state and for entrusting me to serve as Chairman of this Commission.

  “As Chairman, I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners, state leadership and our federal partners to ensure Texas energy continues to be the envy of the world. Working together, our state’s clean and abundant natural resources will fuel America’s economy and help secure the growing energy needs here at home and abroad.”

• RRC Chairman Wright Applauds Department of Interior’s Reforms to Federal Orphaned Well Plugging Program

  July 17, 2025
  

  AUSTIN – Railroad Commission of Texas Chairman Jim Wright issued the following statement regarding the announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior to streamline and improve the federal Orphaned Wells State Formula Grant Program.

  “Today’s announcement by the Department of the Interior is a win for common sense governance.  As I wrote last November, the significant hurdles and bureaucracy inherent in the orphaned well plugging program under the Biden Administration resulted in increased plugging costs and significantly delayed well plugging.  The revisions announced today will do much to streamline the program and ensure taxpayer funds are used efficiently to plug as many orphaned wells as possible.

  “I appreciate the thoughtful work of the Trump Administration and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to cut through the red tape and allow the Railroad Commission to utilize its world-renowned well plugging expertise.”

  A conservative businessman with over 35 years of experience in the energy industry, Jim Wright was elected as the 51st Texas Railroad Commissioner in November 2020. He and his wife, Sherry, live in Orange Grove and have five children. Read more about Commissioner Wright here.