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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.