SocraticGadfly: Cleaning up after oil and gas

May 09, 2024

Cleaning up after oil and gas

Capital and Main talks about Schuyler Wight leaving his West Texas home once a month, every month, to try to get the Railroad Commission to do something — ANYTHING — about orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells, injection wells and more. So far, it seems Wayno Not A Christian and the rest of the gang are falling further behind.

Part of the problem is the issue of "orphaned and abandoned." The RRC has an official definition of "orphaned." It doesn't even know how many abandoned wells exist. And, even on the officially orphaned wells, Wayno, Ms. Tom Craddick Jr. and Dude No. 3 on the RRC are falling ever more behind on the cleanup. And, none of them want to take Wight up on his offer of visiting the most questionable sites, even though Craddick lives out there.

And, let's not even get on the issue of flaring natural gas.

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Speaking of, at least with one former scofflaw, New Mexico IS doing something about flaring gas. A $24.5 million fine, if followed with similar amounts as needed, might be more than just a drop or two in the bucket.

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