The Railroad Commission’s program for sealing orphan oil and gas wells will get an additional $100 million over the next two years. But advocates say policy changes are needed to prevent the list of orphan wells from continuing to grow.By Martha PskowskiThe state of Texas will infuse more cash into a program for plugging inactive oil and gas wells in 2026 and 2027, as the average cost of sealing each well has rapidly increased.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: August 18, 2025 06:15 PM
Atmospheric CO₂
425.4 ppm
+18.4
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1934.91 ppb
+9.11
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year