Out of some 400,000 oil and gas wells in Texas, as of Sept. 30 the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) classified 112,653 as “inactive.” Once a well becomes inactive, unless the operator obtains a deadline extension, the operator must properly plug the well to prevent pollution and leakage and clean up the surface — at least to some extent. That’s the long-stated policy goal for nonproducing oil and gas wells in Texas.
Nevertheless, surface owners, oil and gas operators, and the RRC have long been at odds on the particulars of what needed to be done and when it had to be done. In spite of the rules, unplugged wells, live electric lines and old surface equipment have continued to plague landowners and the industry.
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