Video & Transcript Research : 'orphan wells'
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TX
Transcript Highlights:
- But in trying to get the abandoned wells and inactive wells, you know, so I see the same parallel in
- and active wells.
- Well, there's no reapplication of electrical support structure to turn the well back on, but at the 10
- A lot of these wells, that field was discovered in the 20s and they continued to drill wells in the 50s
- well, and if they want to choose gas.
Keywords:
occupational licenses, renewal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, registration, license expiration, HB 2663, inactive well, plugging extension, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, oil and gas, orphan wells, well cleanup, well plugging, abandoned wells, surface equipment removal, electric service termination, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, Section 89.029
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Natural Resources heard several House bills dealing with environmental regulation, oil and gas safety, landfill permits, and utility cost recovery. HB 1237, by Rep. Geren and sponsored by Sen. Zaffirini, would extend TCEQ occupational license renewal deadlines from 30 days to 90 days, allow renewal up to one year with higher fees, and require a new application after longer expiration; the committee substitute clarified that applicants may continue working only until renewal is approved or denied and set a 180-day cutoff for renewal. HB 3071, sponsored by Sen. Hancock, would require TCEQ to cancel certain long-dormant municipal solid waste permits; members discussed concerns about precedent, ownership changes, and whether the bill should be narrowed, and the bill was left pending with a committee substitute expected.
The committee also heard HB 2663, sponsored by Sen. Birdwell, which would require operators of inactive oil and gas wells to remove or de-energize electrical equipment after 10 years and authorize Railroad Commission penalties for false compliance. Testimony from landowners, cattle raisers, and the Sierra Club supported the bill as a wildfire-prevention measure, and the bill was left pending. HB 4384, also by Rep. Darby and sponsored by Sen. Birdwell, would let natural gas utilities defer certain infrastructure costs for later recovery through the GRIP process; utility representatives supported it as credit-positive and consistent with existing accounting, while consumer advocates opposed it as increasing rates without enough oversight. The committee discussed possible amendments to add more cost controls, and the bill was left pending.
Later, the committee voted HB 2563, the companion to SB 2510, favorably to the full Senate by a 5-0 vote and ordered it certified for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then took up HB 143, which would codify interagency procedures for addressing electrical power line safety at well sites and related facilities after wildfire concerns; members said a committee substitute had been negotiated with agencies and stakeholders to clarify responsibilities, timelines, and inspection authority while reducing fiscal impact. No final vote was taken on HB 143, and the committee recessed with several bills still pending.
TX
Keywords:
occupational licenses, renewal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, registration, license expiration, HB 2663, inactive well, plugging extension, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, oil and gas, orphan wells, well cleanup, well plugging, abandoned wells, surface equipment removal, electric service termination, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, Section 89.029
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- The bill's not the same as either an orphaned or an inactive well in the sense that the public is not
- going to use that well.
- In trying to get the abandoned wells and inactive wells, I see the same parallel in what you're trying
- Well, de-electrified...
- to drill wells from that time.
Keywords:
occupational licenses, renewal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, registration, license expiration, HB 2663, inactive well, plugging extension, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, oil and gas, orphan wells, well cleanup, well plugging, abandoned wells, surface equipment removal, electric service termination, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, Section 89.029
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Finance and Taxation Apr 16th, 2025 at 09:00 am
Finance and Taxation
Transcript Highlights:
- Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome back to Finance and Tax.
- Well, we all know that on bond issues, a typical bond issue is for like 20 years, and so we need to make
- Well, now maybe we can open it up for questions from members. I'll do my best.
- So other than that, I appreciate Association of Counties being gracious on the June 1st date as well.
- Well, what did I have? We got line 5 and line 10. Yeah, I meant line 10. Excuse me.
Bills:
SB2397
Keywords:
oil and gas, tax exemption, development incentive wells, gross production tax, flaring, 908, all
Summary:
The Senate Finance and Tax Committee met and first took up House Bill 1382, the gas tax bill. Members explained an amendment to ensure that the proposed three-cent gas tax distribution would include all counties and townships in oil-producing counties, rather than excluding non-oil-producing counties as in the original draft. The committee adopted the amendment unanimously, but then held the bill for the time being because of related work on the Department of Transportation budget in the House.
The committee then turned to House Bill 1168, a large hoghouse amendment that combined the bill with the contents of House Bill 1176 and added technical corrections. The proposal would raise the primary residence property tax credit maximum from $1,250 to $1,650, keep the 75% cap with a $500 floor, and extend the credit to voter-approved levies while excluding special assessments. Other changes discussed included aligning the disabled veterans property tax credit with the $200,000 exemption level, adjusting budget and distribution dates so taxing districts are made whole sooner, exempting townships from a general-election vote requirement for levy increases, and modifying school funding formulas so schools are not shortchanged if mill levies are reduced under the cap.
Testimony from the Association of Counties and the State Supervisor of Assessments was generally supportive of the technical cleanup and implementation changes, but they raised concerns about the June 1 distribution date, application timing, and the practicality of some programming and administrative changes. Committee members also discussed the policy and messaging implications of the 75%/floor structure and the difficulty of applying the credit to certain voter-approved levies. No final action was taken on House Bill 1168; the committee agreed to continue working on amendments and recessed until later in the day.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- well.
- Well, we're here today.
- Well, that's not appropriate.
- They can drill a well and use our fresh water to produce that well in Texas.
- Out of a water well. Out of a water well. On gas wells, right?
Keywords:
HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft
AL
Alabama 2026 1st Special Session
Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee Feb 11th, 2026
Economic Development and Tourism
Transcript Highlights:
- Covington County is well represented by you, sir, and you and I had great conversations, and I appreciate
- this is the bill that I passed last year out of this committee, and we passed it out of House 4 as well
LA
Transcript Highlights:
- Maybe a court will say, well, the legislative history, we respect the legislative history.
- These fees help prevent the state from bearing the full cost of orphaned wells.
- So what this does is it sets up a new structure. ...wells that produce very little.
- wells at less than 50 percent of the full fee, oil from stripper wells less than 25 percent of the full
- fee, gas from low-pressure wells 40 percent of the full fee, and gas from incapable wells 17.5 percent
Keywords:
fishing gear, Oyster Bayou, shrimping, regulation, marine resources, HB621, Act 658, renewable energy, recycling, decommissioning, wind energy, solar power, solar facilities, wind turbines, energy infrastructure, end-of-life disposal, universal waste, recyclable materials, waste reduction, Department of Environmental Quality
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy (10-19-23)
Keywords:
KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9NoLfE1zVY, 2026-06-21T07:17:05+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start 00:00:00
Attendance Roll Call 00:00:15
Approval of Minutes 00:02:41
Update from the Energy and Environment Cabinet on the Orphan Oil and Gas Well Plugging Program 00:02:54
The Kentucky GRANT Program Established by 2023 House Bill 9 00:19:00, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity (7-29-24)
Keywords:
KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGLd6CvGMIM, 2026-06-21T07:17:08+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, 00:00:05 – Roll Call Attendance
00:01:20 – Approval of June Minutes
00:01:40 – Searching for Kentucky’s Juneteenth
00:22:25 – Discussion on Elementary Education: The Promise Academy at William Wells Brown, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Well, that didn't happen.
- All right, well, I'm against the bill.
- This expressway has been pretty well received.
- OK, well, listen, I'm just a little...
- Well, we'll try and be respectful.
Bills:
HJR58, HJR63, HB263, HB542, HB905, HB 1288, HB1402, HB2003, HB2262, HB2323, HB2429, HB2876, HB3019, HB263
Keywords:
healthcare, insurance, elderly, retirement, benefits, transit-oriented projects, constitutional amendment, state highway fund, funding allocation, voter approval, highway fund, funding, public transportation, transit projects, transportation, local transit, fund allocation, voting rights, election integrity, ballot access
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
House Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, February 17, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Keywords:
groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls, monitoring wells, public reporting, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, conservation districts, supervisors, elections, agriculture, local governance, beneficial use
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, February 17, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- And so Wyoming state statute as well.
- We have the acre spacings for wells.
- <01:27:45.600>
So all agriculture irrigation wells. So all agriculture irrigation wells. - , a test well is simply an exploratory<01:33:14.080>
well. - What we were exploratory well.
Keywords:
groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls, monitoring wells, public reporting, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, conservation districts, supervisors, elections, agriculture, local governance, beneficial use
OK
Transcript Highlights:
- Education, having been a teacher as well. And with your permission, Mr.
- Looks like in the old language, this is an incentive to finalize noncompleted wells.
- I think it is newer wells or wells under construction. I don't believe it to be retroactive.
- Well Again, debate from the chair. Senator Murdock, thanks for bringing this up.
- Well, it's New Mexico. But what else did I do besides pick up feed? I went and ate.
Keywords:
education funding, linked deposits, education infrastructure, charter schools, nonprofit organizations, Oklahoma Education Infrastructure Program, rounding, cash payments, public finance, Oklahoma Common Cents Act, political subdivision, youth entrepreneurship, tax exemption, small business, income tax, Oklahoma Youth Entrepreneurs Promotion and Development Act, HB3661, Oklahoma sales tax, sales tax exemption, revenue and taxation
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
House Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, February 26, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Keywords:
wastewater, stormwater, infrastructure, environmental quality, public data, data collection, funding, study, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, February 26, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- One of the other um up there as well.
- Well, thank you, Representative Larson. Any uh—" "Does anybody want to move the bill?"
- as a civil is a criminal penalty as well as a civil uh<00:17:13.760>
provision. - That's how I remember it as well.
- But I think there remember it as well.
Keywords:
wastewater, stormwater, infrastructure, environmental quality, public data, data collection, funding, study, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls
WY
Transcript Highlights:
- . >> Well, first time I've been in here.
Keywords:
internet crimes, children, task force, law enforcement, funding, education, victim assistance, kratom, regulation, healthcare, age restrictions, manufacturing standards, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, higher education
WY
Keywords:
internet crimes, children, task force, law enforcement, funding, education, victim assistance, kratom, regulation, healthcare, age restrictions, manufacturing standards, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, higher education
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources, February 12, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- . >> Well, I'll um, Mr.
- strict limit, but I think that by pulling the funds with the treasurer, those funds are going to be well
- strict limit, but I think that by pulling the funds with the treasurer, those funds are going to be well
- I think that by pulling the funds with the treasurer, those funds are going to be well accounted for.
- Well, we're right. Anybody else out there in the hinterland?
Keywords:
groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls, monitoring wells, public reporting, irrigation, water management, funding, maintenance projects, tax assessments, state law, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, water development
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
House Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources, February 12, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- Well, here's the thing.
- Well, well, that was my question >> Yeah.
- Is that one okay, or did you need that one changed as well? That needs changed as well.
- well? well?
- >> That needs changed as well. I apologize. >> That needs changed as well.
Keywords:
groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls, monitoring wells, public reporting, irrigation, water management, funding, maintenance projects, tax assessments, state law, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, water development
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Uh, uh, orphan wells members are inactive, non-compliant wells that have been inactive for a minimum
- When a well is orphaned, the state assumes the liability of the well in perpetuity.
- and public safety concerns related to the existence of orphan wells, some orphan wells can also prohibit
- well and not assume liability to the landowner on which an orphan well exists.
- Adopt these orphan wells.
Keywords:
concrete plants, environmental regulation, permit process, air quality, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, SB 1061, uranium mining, production area authorization, TCEQ, Water Code, groundwater, groundwater conservation district, restoration table value, restoration values, contested case hearing, Chapter 2001, mineral rights, surface owners, notice requirements, environmental permitting