It cost the Texas Railroad Commission $2.5 million to plug this well in Crane County that leaked super-salty toxic water for six weeks in December 2023 and January 2024. Credit: Sarah Stogner
From the article:
A rash of leaking wells, geysers and earthquakes fueled a petition from the environmental groups Earthjustice, Commission Shift and Clean Water Action earlier this year. The petition asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the state’s regulation of oil field wastewater and its “failure to protect drinking water.”
The petition “raises substantial concerns,” the EPA replied in a May letter in response. The agency’s regional office in Dallas said in the letter it would need time for review.
An additional letter from watchdog groups Environmental Integrity Project and Commission Shift last month raised more questions about why Railroad Commission data suggests wastewater wells were failing mechanical integrity tests at concerning rates.
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