NEWS
RRC plug more than 430 orphaned wells so far
AUSTIN – The Railroad Commission of Texas highlighted the agency’s extensive work and expertise in plugging orphaned oil and gas wells during a visit from U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in Houston last week.
When a well ceases production, the majority of operators fulfill their obligations and responsibly plug their wells to prevent leaks and protect the environment. Last year 88% of wells plugged were plugged by operators. The RRC steps in to plug wells when an operator goes out of business and collects on the operator’s financial assurance and seeks reimbursement through legal proceedings.
In October, Texas was the first state in the nation to begin plugging orphaned oil and gas wells using an initial grant from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The RRC has plugged more than 430 wells so far with that federal grant.
Those well pluggings supplement RRC’s annual well pluggings in the State Managed Plugging Program (SMP). No taxpayer money is used at all for the SMP; all the funding is through oil and gas industry revenue including, but not limited to multiple fees, and bonds and financial security paid by oil and gas operators.
The next inflow of federal well plugging funds will be through formula grants. RRC submitted comments on draft formula grant guidance recently issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The RRC is concerned the draft requirements place administrative burdens that go beyond the scope of the legislation that authorized the well plugging funds. There’s also concern about a proposed phased approach to releasing formula funds, versus releasing the total amount at once.
“Among all oil and gas producing states, we’re a leader in addressing orphan wells, and the Legislature has passed several measures to create incentives to reduce orphan wells in Texas,” said Wei Wang, RRC Executive Director. “We’ve built great momentum using federal funds to plug wells, and we urged Secretary Haaland to help us keep the momentum. Less than two percent of oil and gas wells in the state are orphaned, and getting the formula funds quickly will help us proceed without unnecessary interruptions.”
Clay Woodul, RRC Assistant Director of the Oil and Gas Division for Field Operations, shows Secretary Deb Haaland and members of Congress an orphaned well scheduled to be plugged in Houston.
The RRC anticipates plugging about 800 wells this fiscal year using the initial federal grant, which would be in addition to at least 1,000 well pluggings through the SMP.
The agency’s comments on the draft formula grant guidance can be found on the RRC website at https://www.rrc.texas.gov/media/4ilhvfga/iija-draft-formual-grant_rrc-texas-comments_2_24.pdf
Bowie fire and police emergency personnel responded to this structure fire call around 10:30 a.m. Friday morning. No details were available at this time on a possible cause, possibly from trash inside the station or inside a vehicle. (News photo by Barbara Green)
Gregory Bell, 58, Saint Jo, was found guilty of the murder of Tia Hutson, 50, also of Saint Jo after less than an hour of jury deliberation Thursday afternoon.
She was found beaten and raped in her home in August 2022 and six days later never regaining consciousness. The jury also deliberated Bell’s sentence giving him the maximum life in prison and a $10,000 find. It took them less than half an hour to make the decision. A deadly finding also determined a large flashlight was used as a deadly weapon.
As the jury left the courtroom some members were seen hugging Trevor Riley, Tia Hutson’s who had given a powerful victim’s statement to the court.
Staff and volunteers at the Bowie Mission continue to be plagued by people who dump their unwanted furniture and other items at their gates and doors. Despite having signs stating this is illegal and that there are surveillance cameras on scene, dumpers don’t seem to be phased.
This past week several large pieces of furniture were dumped right in front of the gate where the trailer used to go pick up food bank items is stored. Cynthia Brewer, director said most of the volunteers are older and it is difficult to get these large items moved out of the way. She is at her wit’s end trying to get people to stop dumping and while she hesitates to file police charges the situation is getting untenable as people continue to violate the policy.
Anyone who observes illegal dumping at the mission is urged to call the police 872-2251.
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