Zombie Oil Wells Surge 50% in Texas, Prompting New Leak Rules

Texas is planning new rules to speed up its response to so-called zombie oil wells after the number of sites leaking toxic wastewater increased more than 50% this year.

Oil companies in the largest US crude-producing state are pumping so much wastewater underground that oilfield fluids are bursting through old wells and onto the surface, particularly in the Permian Basin. The Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s oil and gas regulator, is proposing new emergency measures that would shut wastewater injection within a two-mile radius of a leaking well or compel nearby operators to clean up the site themselves. ...