Sledge, a sixth generation Texan, said he will utilize his 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry to confront the EPA’s unprecedented attempted power grabs of the state’s regulatory authority which threaten Texas jobs and our national security. Sledge, who served in the Texas Air National Guard and United States Army Reserves, graduated from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1972 and worked as an attorney at the Federal Power Commission, now known as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, before entering the private sector. He is currently Vice President of Legal for VAALCO Energy in Houston. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Houston and attend St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where he has been a member since 1951.