Plugging orphaned wells is a top priority for Railroad Commission of Texas | Opinion

By: Wei Wang, Executive Director of the Railroad Commission of Texas

Houston Chronicle: Letters to the Editor, Opinion pieces from Houston Chronicle readers

AUSTIN – As conversations about orphaned and leaking wells continue, it's important for Texans to know the facts. Addressing orphaned wells is a top priority for the Railroad Commission of Texas.

The vast majority, approximately 86%, of oil and gas wells are responsibly plugged by operators. But if an operator is noncompliant or goes out of business and a well has been inactive for at least 12 months, the well becomes "orphaned." Fortunately, the RRC administers its award-winning State Managed Plugging Program to plug these wells. And make no mistake, the process does not stop here. The RRC’s Legal Enforcement teams work with the Office of the Attorney General to try to recoup the plugging costs from these defunct companies.

Once a well is deemed an orphan, it falls under the monitoring jurisdiction of the RRC and is placed on a list to be plugged, under the supervision of agency inspectors, by RRC contractors. The RRC uses a robust prioritization system that scores wells on multiple factors including age, location, condition and environmental and safety concerns to ensure that high-risk, high-priority wells are plugged first, protecting Texans from the most serious hazards.

In some rare cases, such as an uncontrolled release or leak that poses a threat to health and safety, immediate action is required. These leaking wells are often more complex and costly than other plugging projects, but they are critical for protecting nearby communities and natural resources. All plugging operations, whether completed by industry or the RRC, must meet the same strict requirements defined by state regulation, to ensure groundwater, oil, gas or geothermal resources remain protected.

Since 1984, the SMP has plugged over 47,000 wells across Texas. Alongside continued improvements in technology and regulation, Texas has one of the lowest increases in orphaned well populations among all oil-producing states, according to a recent Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission study.

But how does Texas pay for all of this?

State-funded orphaned well-plugging is supported by the oil and natural gas industry directly through the RRC's Oil and Gas Regulation and Cleanup Fund and indirectly through production taxes deposited into the General Revenue Fund. The RRC also receives federal support through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The U.S. Department of the Interior awarded the RRC $254.2 million in grant funding to plug orphaned wells and the RRC is eligible to receive an additional $119.5 million in future grant phases.

And during the 89^th Legislative Session, the Texas Legislature approved an additional $100 million — the largest one-time infusion of funds for oil and gas well-plugging.

Our dedication to addressing emergency wells is not isolated to plugging the wells when incidents occur. To enhance the integrity of the underground disposal of produced water, new permit application requirements were recently adopted for saltwater disposal wells in the Permian Basin. These requirements include stricter guidelines to ensure injected fluids remain confined to designated disposal formations, preventing emergency water flows while safeguarding ground and surface fresh water.

Several additional changes were made during the last legislative session to address orphaned wells including SB 1146, which streamlines the process for operators to plug orphaned wells on or near their leases, while SB 1150 requires operators to plug wells that are over 25 years old and have been inactive for at least 15 years.

The RRC is the oldest regulatory body in Texas and is tasked with regulating one of the largest oil and gas industries in the world. Despite the scope and scale of our responsibilities, we continue to rise to the challenge and are committed to protecting both public safety and the environment. The agency welcomes continued dialogue on a topic that remains vitally important to all Texans.

Wei Wang is the executive director of the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry in Texas.

This article was originally published in the Houston Chronicle on February 8, 2026 and can be viewed here: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/letters/article/railroad-commission-well-plugging-oil-leaking-gas-21338622.php