Dunn backs Bo French to unseat Railroad Commission
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- Wright championed the first overhaul of oilfield waste rules in 40 years at the Railroad Commission.
- CrownQuest sued the Railroad Commission over the legality of the new oilfield waste rules adopted last year.
- Tim Dunn, CrownQuest’s billionaire founder, is known for targeting Texas Republicans he deems insufficiently conservative.
- Tim Dunn is now financially backing Bo French, a far‑right challenger, to unseat Wright on the Railroad Commission.
- Bo French, former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, announced his campaign in November 2025, pledging to fight “radical climate change ideology” and “foreign capture” of the industry.
- Railroad Commission regulatory issues such as flaring, injection wells, and waste pits were omitted from French’s campaign messaging.
Why it matters: Tim Dunn’s backing gives French financial muscle to challenge the incumbent, potentially shifting the Railroad Commission’s leadership toward a more hard‑line stance on climate regulation, while the lawsuit by CrownQuest signals industry resistance to the recent waste‑rule overhaul, and could reshape policy oversight of flaring, injection wells, and waste pits.
