| Jeff Weems, an oil and gas litigation attorney and active Democrat in Harris County, will be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Railroad Commissioner next year. Weems appointed a campaign treasurer on July 6 and has begun raising money and traveling the state. When he was in Austin earlier this week, some of us at BOR had a chance to meet with him and I came away very impressed. Weems knows his stuff. After working summers on offshore oil rigs to finance his college education, Weems received a Petroleum Land Management degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He spent several years working in the oil and gas industry before returning to UT for law school. The current Railroad Commissioners, two of whom are currently spending a large amount of their time on quixotic campaigns for the U.S. Senate, have shown a huge bias towards the gas utilities when rate cases are heard. Weems faces an uphill battle, but his early moves and strong background indicate that he may ultimately become a serious challenger to Republican incumbent Victor Carrillo. |
