Railroad Commission of Texas said last week that for the seventh consecutive year it exceeded targets for plugging orphan wells in fiscal year 2023. The Texas legislature set a goal of 1,000 orphaned wells to be plugged in FY 2023, and the commission said its oil and gas division plugged 1,750 wells last year. That included 1,020 wells plugged with state funds and an additional 730 orphaned wells using federal funds.
Also, the RRC pipeline safety division surpassed its annual target in specialized pipeline inspections, including a total of 2,275 specialized operator program evaluations, pipeline integrity management reviews, new construction inspections and other safety inspections. Wei Wang, RRC executive director, said Oct. 10, “Texans expect results from us. They deserve it, and our staff delivers it every day. A great example of providing that service is through exceeding the performance goals set by the legislature.”
The RRC well-plugging program recently received the chair’s Environmental Partnership Award from the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission for completing a project (removed underwater and surface casings from four wells) to ensure boater safety in Neches River at Big Thicket National Preserve.