Christi Craddick, chair of the Railroad Commission of Texas, said Jan. 6 that the commission will not accept $300 million in federal funding to plug abandoned wells until it learns conditions of the funding. “We’re going to wait to see what their rules are before we decide,” she said in Houston at a meeting of Texas Pipeline Association. “If we do, you’ll see us plug a lot of wells. If we don’t, we’re going to continue going back to the legislature to make sure we have enough dollars to meet those priorities.”
Craddick told Houston Chronicle the commission will request from the 2023 legislature $8.7 million for state inspectors to oversee gas gathering lines subject to new federal regulations, $6.1 million to replace trucks used by inspectors, and $21.5 million in technology upgrades to improve transparency and efficiency.