Jon Niermann

Jon Niermann serves as chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He was first appointed to the Commission by Governor Greg Abbott in 2015 and appointed to a second term in 2021. He has served as chairman since August 31, 2018.

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About Jon Niermann

Chairman Jon Niermann

Niermann represents the agency on the Environmental Council of the States and serves as Governor Abbott’s appointee to the Western States Water Council, the Western Water Cooperative Committee, and the Good Neighbor Environmental Board federal advisory committee. He is also responsible for the administration of funds that Texas receives from the Volkswagen State Environmental Mitigation Trust.

Niermann is a fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. He has represented Texas’ natural resource agencies in prior roles at the Texas Attorney General’s Office, including assistant attorney general and chief of the Environmental Protection Division. In these roles, he led the Texas delegation to negotiations that resolved the state’s claims relating to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He has also represented the state of Texas before federal appellate courts, including as the lead attorney on several petitions for review of EPA rulemaking actions under the federal Clean Air Act.

Before entering public service, Niermann was an environmental attorney in private practice. He began his regulatory career as the safety and environmental manager for a heavy-equipment manufacturer.

Niermann earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He earned a master of business administration and juris doctor from the University of Oregon.