Texas Railroad Comm

The Railroad Commission of Texas RRC Is Seeking Initial Grant Funding Under Sec 40601 of the Infrastructureinvestment and Jobs Act to Plug, Remediate, and Reclaim Orphaned Wells Located on State Owned or Privately Ownedland Across Texas the Commission Is the State Agency With Primary Regulatory Jurisdiction Over the Oil Andnatural Gas Industry With Environmental and Safety Responsibilities Related to Oil and Gas Production Protectingthe Environment and Preserving Natural Resources by Regulating Fossil Fuel Energy Production, Storage, Anddelivery Is One of the Agency S Primary Goals the Commission Began Its Statewide Well Plugging Program in 1984 Seeking to Alleviate Water Quality Problemsassociated With Oil and Gas Production With Funding From the Initial Grant, the Commission Will Build on Thisnearly 40 Year History the Commission Defines an Orphaned Well as an Inactive, Non Compliant Well That Has Beeninactive for a Minimum of 12 Months, and the Responsible Operator S Organizational Report, an Operator Sregistration With the Commission Is Delinquent, Has Been Delinquent for Greater Than 12 Months in 2001, Thecommission Established a Well Plugging Priority System to Prioritize Those Orphaned Wells That Pose a High Riskto the Environment by Assigning Numerical Values to Factors in Four Categories Well Completion, Wellboreconditions, Well Location With Respect to Sensitive Areas, and Unique Environmental, Social, or Economic Concern Upon Enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, There Were 7,396 Documented Orphaned Wells Intexas as of April 30, 2022 the Number of Documented Orphaned Wells in Texas Increased to 7,979 the Commissionestimates That Up to 800 Documented Orphaned Wells Across the State Will Be Plugged With Initial Grant Funding,with a Focus on Deeper or Higher Risk Wells, Including H2S Wells the Commission Will Use 90 Percent of Itsinitial Grant Funding Request for Contracted Well Plugging Services Within the First 30 Days of the Projectperiod, the Commission Will Establish a Plan to Identify and Prioritize Those Documented Orphaned Wells That Willbe Plugged With Initial Grant Funding Established Within the First 30 Days, This Plan Will Guide Activitiesthroughout the Grant Period With Initial Grant Funding the Commission Estimates Adding 20 Plugging Inspectors Who Will Be Located Across Thestate Throughout the Commission S 12 Districts, Which Are Managed From 10 District Offices Plugging Inspectorsare on Site Representatives of the Commission During Plugging Activities to Witness All Plugging Operations Toensure Protection of the State S Usable Quality Water Inspectors Also Confirm Contract Stipulations Arefollowed, and Costs Align Correctly With the Work Performed the Commission Developed a Website That Includes Up to Date Information About Section 40601 Implementationefforts the Website Will Be Updated Regularly to Include Details About the Wells Plugged With Initial Grantfunding Once Activities Begin the Commission Will Develop a Gis Tool Available From the Website That Will Buildon Existing Gis Layers to Allow Staff and the Public to View Wells Selected for Plugging With an Overlay U S Census Data and Elements From the U S Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Screening Andmapping Tool to Determine Whether Those Wells Affect a Disadvantaged Community Wells Selected for Plugging Willfollow the Criteria of the Commission S Established Well Plugging Priority System This Project Will Improve Environmental Outcomes Across the State of Texas by Eliminating the Potential Threat Ofpollution From Documented Orphaned Wells Be It From the Emissions of Methane and Other Gases to the Contaminationof Surface or Ground Water