An east Texas man told Houston Chronicle he has revived oilfields in Conroe and Humble that had been shut in for decades. Brent Franklin, 33, owner of Rise Drilling, began producing in Conroe in September for Texas-based Wheeler Resources. Franklin, who attended Conroe High School and served in U.S. Navy, started investing in oil and gas in 2018 – buying equipment and contracting with companies to revive oil wells.
“We go after older projects,” he told the Chronicle. “We revamp older wells. My business focuses on finding existing oil and gas wells that maybe have reserves or oil and gas left behind. We get them back online.” Chronicle said the Conroe oilfield was discovered in 1931.
Franklin also owns several leases in Humble, where he revived old wells shut in since the 1960s that are now actively producing.
Franklin added, “We know there is oil and gas that has been left behind. There just hasn’t been anyone chasing it. If we are going to maintain positive cash flow and energy independence in our nation, we need to develop as much as possible. Conroe is a significant source for oil and gas.”