Organization & Activities of the Oil & Gas Division
Administration
- budget and fiscal analysis
- strategic planning
- system support and integration for all sections of the Oil and Gas Division as well as between the Oil and Gas Division and other divisions of the Commission.
Technical Permitting
- drilling permits
- high-cost gas incentive certifications, enhanced oil recovery incentive certifications, 2-yr inactive well incentive certifications, certifications of previously vented or flared casinghead gas
- review and approval of directional surveys
- new field designations
- review temporary field rules
- review and approval of oil and gas well completions
- conduct the RRC's federally approved regulatory program for the state's over 53,000 oil field injection and disposal wells
- waste management including permitting pits and landfarming, discharges, waste haulers, waste minimization, and hazardous waste management
- hydrocarbon storage
- brine mining
- coordination between state and federal agencies on environmental matters
Administrative Compliance
- Audits and processes oil and gas production reports
- Audits and processes liquid hydrocarbon transportation and disposition reports
- Processes recovered frac oil reports
- Processes surface commingling permits and lease storage exceptions
- Processes oil and gas well completions and plugging reports
- Validates wells are completed in accordance with drilling permits
- Prepares reservoir market demand calculations for prorated gas reservoirs
- Assigns oil and gas well allowables
- Maintains oil and gas proration schedule
- Processes certificates of compliance and transportation authority forms
- Issues certifications for 2-year inactive and orphan well tax incentive programs
- Processes lease consolidations, subdivisions and unitizations
- Audits and processes oil and gas well tests and status reports
- Updates and maintains wellbore records
- Processes and approves organization reports for organizations performing oil and gas operations in Texas
- Processes financial assurance required of organizations engaged in oil and gas activity.
- Monitors SWR 14b2 compliance program and issues well plugging extensions
- Prepares and distributes oil and gas industry statistics
- Approves security administrator designation forms for on-line filing
- Maintains the Commission’s geographic information system (GIS) base map data and updates well data.
- Researches historical API numbers and well information to update well records in the mainframe and GIS systems
- Supports GIS viewer inquiries and provides GIS assistance and map products.
Field Operations
- rule enforcement
- district offices
- ensure compliance with Commission rules and regulations through inspections of drilling rigs, leases, pollution occurrences, gas plants, etc.
- witness well completions, pluggings, testing, directional surveys, etc.
- investigate complaints, blowouts, fires, and oil spills
- provide well records, production history, and other data to the regulated industry and the general public
Oil Field Cleanup Program
Well Plugging
- locate and inspect wellsfor recommendation for state-funded pluggings
- recommend to the Commission sites for plugging
- carry out bid process including writing up specifications for plugging/associated cleanups, reviewing bids, and bid selection
- supervise plugging and associated cleanup activities
- review invoices for payment approval
Site Remediation
- administration of the state-funded cleanup program for abandoned oil and gas sites.
- oversight of industry-funded complex cleanup sites (Operator Cleanup Program).
- provide assistance with oil and gas waste cleanups by those who did not cause the contamination (Voluntary Cleanup Program).
- coordination of complex emergency cleanups with RRC District personnel.
- provide technical assistance to RRC District offices.