Amanda Drane

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Amanda Drane

A bill that aims to address growing numbers of uncapped oil and gas wells is expected to become law after clearing the Texas Legislature Monday. Senate Bill 1150, authored by state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, would require that wells be plugged after 15 years of inactivity. Gov. Greg Abbott must sign the bill before it becomes law. Under current law, oil and gas companies can apply — indefinitely — for annual extensions to well-plugging requirements.

1 week ago | expressnews.com | Amanda Drane

A bill that aims to address growing numbers of uncapped oil and gas wells is expected to become law after clearing the Texas Legislature on Monday. Senate Bill 1150, authored by state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, would require that wells be plugged after 15 years of inactivity. Gov. Greg Abbott must sign the bill before it becomes law. Under current law, oil and gas companies can apply - indefinitely - for annual extensions to well-plugging requirements.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Amanda Drane |Octavia Johnson

Employees of ConocoPhillips face more layoffs after the oil company's merger with Marathon Oil, which triggered sweeping job cuts in Houston last year. A spokesman for the Houston oil giant confirmed Friday that the company had informed employees about additional layoffs, but declined to specify how many or when the layoffs would take place. “We are working through the process carefully and won’t speculate on timing or numbers while our evaluation is ongoing,” he said in a statement.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Amanda Drane

Even before tariffs rattled markets and hobbled supply chains, would-be liquefied natural gas developers were struggling to line up funding for costly export projects that can cost as much as $15 billion. Energy Transfer told investors in February that due to rising costs, it was renegotiating long-term contracts with customers of its Lake Charles LNG project - contracts that lock in revenue for decades, making it possible for projects to secure the financing they need to begin construction.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Caroline Ghisolfi |Amanda Drane

More than 150,000 oil and gas wells sit idle and unplugged across Texas. These wells often outlast their cash-strapped owners, who leave them behind after they die, go bankrupt or dissolve their companies. A bill from Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton, himself an oilman from Galveston, would force oil and gas companies to plug idle wells while they are still around to do the work. As it stands, operators can leave an open hole in the ground indefinitely.