Texas oil companies face new deadlines to plug inactive wells
Texas oil and gas companies face new deadlines to plug defunct wells after the Texas Legislature agreed this week to send Gov. Greg Abbott a bill setting new rules for the industry.
The bill, which passed with bipartisan support in both chambers, is the first legislative step in years toward addressing the growing environmental problem for which the state's taxpayers have become increasingly responsible.
Written by state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, Senate Bill 1150 requires oil and gas operators to plug wells that have been inactive for at least 15 years.
The Texas Railroad Commission, the agency regulating the oil and gas industry, must start enforcing the new rules in September 2027.
In a statement to The Texas Tribune, the Texas Oil and Gas Association applauded the bill.
The bill 'recognizes that once a well has reached the end of its economic life and there is no useful purpose, the owner should be responsible for the plugging, and makes this the law in Texas,' said Todd Staples, the association's president.
More than 150,000 inactive wells puncture Texas land, regulators estimate. Nearly 8,900 of them have no established owner because the company is either bankrupt or no longer exists.
The commission calls these orphan wells, some of which have become conduits for water traveling underneath them. At least eight have burst with brine since October 2024, costing the state millions of dollars to fix.
Current Texas law allows oil companies to indefinitely extend the amount of time they have to plug wells. Middleton's bill changes that, but there are exceptions.
An operator can still ask for an extension in a number of scenarios. For instance, regulators can consider requests from operators with a proven history of plugging other inactive wells.. Another provision allows extensions for operators who can't afford to plug the well. If approved, the well would have to be plugged by 2042.
Under the bill, regulators must evaluate a number of factors, including the operator's plugging history, the number of inactive wells on the property and whether the operator has a plan to reactivate the well.
It will be up to the commission to work out the details of how to enforce the bill. Regulators must consider risks to public safety and the environment, as well as the state and location of the well.
Virginia Palacios, executive director of Commission Shift Action, a group that advocates for stronger environmental regulations, said she was impressed to see the oil and gas industry support Middleton's bill, but disappointed the rules aren't more stringent.
Lawmakers should have given operators 10 years, instead of 15, to plug the wells, she said, adding that the bill contains too many extensions. She said she hopes the commission's rules will be stricter.
'I'm optimistic that this law is going to help reduce some of the problems we've had from unplugged wells,' Palacios said. 'But, in the bigger picture, we could have so much more efficient laws if we had lawmakers actually taking feedback from the people that are most affected, who are seeing these problems play out on the ground, and are seeing what the solutions should be.'
First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas set to mandate Ten Commandments in classrooms as ACLU vows to sue
Texas is set to become the largest state in the nation to mandate that every public school classroom display a copy of the Ten Commandments, with advocates fearing a further erosion of church and state and the legislation's sponsor making clear that's a separation she doesn't believe in. While Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has not yet signed the measure, which comes as red states are increasingly seeking to inject Christianity into public education, he told lawmakers in early May to 'get this bill to my desk. I'll make it law.' Under the legislation, beginning September 1, every school in Texas will be required to display a 16 inch by 20 inch poster of the Ten Commandments. While they won't be required to buy them with district funds, they will be required to display them if donated. The legislation also effectively creates an official state version of the Ten Commandments, because only one specific iteration meets the new statute: a King James Bible-derived list of 'Thou shalt nots' that is used by many Baptists and evangelicals but not by a majority of Catholics, Jews, protestants or Eastern Orthodox Christians. Critics argue the bill is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from creating a state religion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas on Wednesday announced it would sue. 'S.B. 10 is blatantly unconstitutional. We will be working with Texas public school families to prepare a lawsuit to stop this violation of students' and parents' First Amendment rights,' the ACLU wrote, calling the measure 'religiously coercive.' Supporters of the bill, meanwhile, appeal to a letter from Thomas Jefferson which seems to leave open the possibility of state regulation of religion, though so far, courts haven't agreed: A similar bill in Louisiana was blocked in November after being ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. The Texas bill is one of a broad array of public policy proposals pushed by an alliance of groups that seek a broader role for evangelical Christianity in public life. A prior state measure, passed in 2021, required schools to display 'in God we Trust' placards in every classroom. Neighboring Arkansas passed its own Ten Commandments bill in April. In a nod to the legal risks, amendments to the Texas measure require the state attorney general, currently Republican Ken Paxton, to defend at state expense any school district sued over compliance. This week, the Texas legislature also passed a bill permitting prayer in public schools and stripping language that forbids teachers from 'encouraging' students to participate. That measure also obligates the office of the state attorney general to help schools set up a prayer program, and — like the Ten Commandments bill — to defend any legal challenges to it at public expense. During debates over passage, bill sponsor state Rep. Candy Noble insisted that it was not a religious measure but meant to instruct students about the historical importance she says the Ten Commandments hold in American democracy. 'This bill is about honoring our historical educational and judicial heritage with the discipline of the Ten Commandments,' Noble said in a Sunday exchange with Rep. James Talarico (D), a self-described evangelical who opposed the bill. Over the past two months, Talarico and Noble's verbal duels over the bill have served as an intra-evangelical debate over the role of Christianity in public life. 'We established that our founding fathers wanted a separation of church and state,' Talarico began in one April committee hearing, before Noble cut him off. 'I did not establish that,' she said. 'I absolutely did not establish that. That's a historical fact that I disagree with.' In his opposition to the bill, Talarico repeatedly argued that displaying the Ten Commandments was itself a religious violation: a contradiction of St. Paul's dictum in Romans that all the commandments could be 'summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' He argued it was not neighborly to signal to Jews, Muslims, Hindus or members of other Christian denominations that they didn't belong. That's a read Noble emphatically pushed back on. If these people were Americans, she said, 'maybe it would make them curious about what made our forefathers tick. Maybe it will help them wonder 'How can I treat others better? Maybe it will help them ask their parents questions on 'Why should I be under your authority?' 'Maybe we can take that tack with it instead of the negative tack that you're taking with it,' she added. In debates over the bill, Noble repeatedly argued that 'our classrooms are crying out for moral guidance,' though she went back and forth on whether teachers would be required to interpret the Ten Commandments for students. In a viral moment from the debate, Talarico pressed her on why representatives were working over the weekend — the Jewish and Christian Sabbaths — in violation of the Fourth Commandment. 'Is that ironic or what?' Noble asked, before explaining the importance of God's decision to take a day of rest, and contending that Talarico's own opposition to the bill had pushed debate to the weekend. 'Do you think that members of the legislature should focus more on trying to follow the Ten Commandments rather than telling others to follow them?' Talarico asked. 'It is incumbent on all of us to follow God's law,' Noble said. 'And I think that we would be better off if we did.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Down to the wire: Texas Legislature OKs school funding, water, animal-friendly bills
With the end of the 2025 Texas legislative session approaching Monday's finish line, the House and Senate are engaging in legislative ping pong across the rotunda with bills approved by both chambers. In this version of ping pong, each chamber decides whether to accept the changes made by the other or escalate the debate by settling differences via a conference committee. Here are some of the highlights from Thursday's floor sessions. Sweeping legislation to boost funding for public schools was sent to the governor's desk Thursday, completing the "Texas Two Step" designed to change the face of K-12 education in Texas. Step one fulfilled Gov. Greg Abbott's wish for a school voucher-like program through Senate Bill 2, which will make public money available to help pay for private education. He signed it into law in an elaborate ceremony earlier this month. House Bill 2 is step two. It provides $4.2 billion for teacher pay raises, expands the merit-based pay program known as the Teacher Incentive Allotment, invests in teacher preparation and certification programs, and creates a new $1.3 billion fixed cost fund for districts to pay overhead expenses. It also rewrites the way the state's special education system works, setting aside $850 million more for such programs, and provides $430 million more for school safety. More: Would school vouchers help Texas students with special needs? House to weigh 'school choice' Abbott has signed legislation to expand the list of slogans available for license plates. Senate Bill 1568 allows the Department of State Health Services to diversify plate design options to boost public interest and increase funding. The first redesign, 'Spay. Neuter. Adopt.', will offer Texans an easy way to support pets. The Animal-Friendly License Plate Program, originally established in 1997, provides money for free and low-cost spay and neuter initiatives. One part of the major legislative package to address the need for a reliable water supply in Texas made it across the finish line Thursday when the House agreed to the Senate's changes to a proposed constitutional amendment. House Joint Resolution 7 is a referendum that would start the allocation of $1 billion annually to the Texas Water Fund for up to 10 years by redirecting a portion of state sales tax collections. The money will help pay for more water and to repair aging infrastructure for local entities. Texas voters will have final approval on the plan in November. The other part of the package, Senate Bill 7, was still awaiting final approval Thursday. This is the legislation that would put the law on the books. The constitutional amendment would authorize the legislation. More: Texas infrastructure fares better than U.S. average but needs major investment: report Legislation to restrict land ownership from people "domiciled" in nations hostile to the United States was sent to the governor's desk Thursday. Senate Bill 17, authored by Brenham Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and sponsored by Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, in the House, seeks to bar individuals and companies from "adversarial nations" as identified by the U.S. national intelligence director — currently, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — from owning land or real estate in Texas. It also gives the governor authority to add or remove countries from the list. Each chamber offered its own version of the legislation, and the proposal sent to the governor was the work of a conference committee, which reconciled the differences. The measure would grant the attorney general jurisdiction to investigate "land law" violations and would make it a state jail felony to knowingly purchase property despite the restrictions. The conference committee report passed largely along party lines. Democratic Rep. Gene Wu of Houston said it would have the unintended consequence of hindering some members of the Asian community with legal standing to be in the United States from being able to purchase homes and businesses. More: Some Texans, civil rights groups alarmed by bill to ban certain migrants from owning land This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Legislation on school funding, water, land ownership advances in Texas
The Hill
5 hours ago
- The Hill
Texas set to mandate Ten Commandments in classrooms as ACLU vows to sue
Texas is set to become the largest state in the nation to mandate that every public school classroom display a copy of the Ten Commandments, with advocates fearing a further erosion of church and state and the legislation's sponsor making clear that's a separation she doesn't believe in. While Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has not yet signed the measure, which comes as red states are increasingly seeking to inject Christianity into public education, he told lawmakers in early May to 'get this bill to my desk. I'll make it law.' Under the legislation, beginning September 1, every school in Texas will be required to display a 16 inch by 20 inch poster of the Ten Commandments. While they won't be required to buy them with district funds, they will be required to display them if donated. The legislation also effectively creates an official state version of the Ten Commandments, because only one specific iteration meets the new statute: a King James Bible-derived list of 'Thou shalt nots' that is used by many Baptists and evangelicals but not by a majority of Catholics, Jews, protestants or Eastern Orthodox Christians. Critics argue the bill is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from creating a state religion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas on Wednesday announced it would sue. 'S.B. 10 is blatantly unconstitutional. We will be working with Texas public school families to prepare a lawsuit to stop this violation of students' and parents' First Amendment rights,' the ACLU wrote, calling the measure 'religiously coercive.' Supporters of the bill, meanwhile, appeal to a letter from Thomas Jefferson which seems to leave open the possibility of state regulation of religion, though so far, courts haven't agreed: A similar bill in Louisiana was blocked in November after being ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. The Texas bill is one of a broad array of public policy proposals pushed by an alliance of groups that seek a broader role for evangelical Christianity in public life. A prior state measure, passed in 2021, required schools to display 'in God we Trust' placards in every classroom. Neighboring Arkansas passed its own Ten Commandments bill in April. In a nod to the legal risks, amendments to the Texas measure require the state attorney general, currently Republican Ken Paxton, to defend at state expense any school district sued over compliance. This week, the Texas legislature also passed a bill permitting prayer in public schools and stripping language that forbids teachers from 'encouraging' students to participate. That measure also obligates the office of the state attorney general to help schools set up a prayer program, and — like the Ten Commandments bill — to defend any legal challenges to it at public expense. During debates over passage, bill sponsor state Rep. Candy Noble insisted that it was not a religious measure but meant to instruct students about the historical importance she says the Ten Commandments hold in American democracy. 'This bill is about honoring our historical educational and judicial heritage with the discipline of the Ten Commandments,' Noble said in a Sunday exchange with Rep. James Talarico (D), a self-described evangelical who opposed the bill. Over the past two months, Talarico and Noble's verbal duels over the bill have served as an intra-evangelical debate over the role of Christianity in public life. 'We established that our founding fathers wanted a separation of church and state,' Talarico began in one April committee hearing, before Noble cut him off. 'I did not establish that,' she said. 'I absolutely did not establish that. That's a historical fact that I disagree with.' In his opposition to the bill, Talarico repeatedly argued that displaying the Ten Commandments was itself a religious violation: a contradiction of St. Paul's dictum in Romans that all the commandments could be 'summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' He argued it was not neighborly to signal to Jews, Muslims, Hindus or members of other Christian denominations that they didn't belong. That's a read Noble emphatically pushed back on. If these people were Americans, she said, 'maybe it would make them curious about what made our forefathers tick. Maybe it will help them wonder 'How can I treat others better? Maybe it will help them ask their parents questions on 'Why should I be under your authority?' 'Maybe we can take that tack with it instead of the negative tack that you're taking with it,' she added. In debates over the bill, Noble repeatedly argued that 'our classrooms are crying out for moral guidance,' though she went back and forth on whether teachers would be required to interpret the Ten Commandments for students. In a viral moment from the debate, Talarico pressed her on why representatives were working over the weekend — the Jewish and Christian Sabbaths — in violation of the Fourth Commandment. 'Is that ironic or what?' Noble asked, before explaining the importance of God's decision to take a day of rest, and contending that Talarico's own opposition to the bill had pushed debate to the weekend. 'Do you think that members of the legislature should focus more on trying to follow the Ten Commandments rather than telling others to follow them?' Talarico asked. 'It is incumbent on all of us to follow God's law,' Noble said. 'And I think that we would be better off if we did.'
