Holiday Office Closure

In observance of the Christmas holidays, Railroad Commission of Texas offices will be closed December 23-27. The offices will re-open at 8 a.m. on Monday, December 30 for regular business. Expedited Drilling Permits will be processed within standard processing times. If assistance is needed, please email Drillingpermits-info@rrc.texas.gov.
RRC maintains a 24-hour emergency phone line to report any leaks or spills. That number is 844-773-0305

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HB2259-Inactive Well Compliance Summary

  1. Review the wells on your inactive well listing (included with your P-5 renewal packet, or obtained through the online IWAR query), including the shut-in date.  
  2. Complete all required surface cleanup/removal:

    1. Disconnect the electricity to any inactive well. All wells appearing on your inactive well listing have been inactive at least 12 months.
    2. Purge all fluids from tanks, pipes and vessels for wells shut-in at least 5 years but less than 10 as of your next P-5 renewal date. (Wells shut-in 10 years or more must be brought into compliance by removal of the surface equipment. See “c” and “d” below.)  

    Example: If your current P-5 expires on April 30 and you are filing your P-5 renewal for the year beginning May 1, 2011, then you would need to include all wells with a shutin date between June 2001 and May 2006. 

    1. Remove all surface equipment from wells shut-in more than ten years where the well completed its 10th year of inactivity after September 1, 2010. (Note: wells that reached their 10th year of inactivity prior to 9/1/10 have shut-in dates of January 1998 through September 2000. Compliance with the surface equipment removal requirements on those wells is phased in over a five-year period. See “d” below.) 

    Example: If your current P-5 expires on April 30, and you are filing your P-5 renewal for the year beginning May 1, 2011, then you need to include all wells with a shutin date between October 2000 and May 2001.)

    1. For wells that became 10-years inactive prior to September 1, 2010, confirm that you have brought enough of those wells into compliance under the 5-year phase in period. At least 20 percent must be compliant as of your first P-5 renewal on or after September 1, 2011; at least 40 percent as of your first P-5 renewal on or after September 1, 2012; and so on. (The phase-in period applies to surface equipment removal only; the requirement to disconnect electricity is not phased in.)

Complete and file Form W-3C, Certification of Surface Equipment Removal for an Inactive Well with your P-5 certifying compliance with the equipment removal requirements for each well or group of wells or any applicable exemption.  See Form W-3C Instructions for further information.

  1. Inactive Well Extensions:
    1. Correct any violations of Commission rules or requirements for which plugging extensions have been denied.
    2. Choose a blanket option or individual well option(s) for obtaining a plugging extension on all inactive wells.
    3. Complete any requirements associated with the selected plugging extension.
    Complete and file Form W-3X, Application for an Extension of Deadline for Plugging and Inactive Well with your P-5 and any required attachments for the selected plugging extension(s).
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