#107, Sarah Stogner & Ron Green, Pollution from Inactive Oil and Gas Wells in Texas

Send us Fan MailIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, examines how failed P-13 wells, which are former oil and gas wells converted for water use, can fall outside regulatory oversight and create risks for Texas groundwater, with Sarah Stogner, District Attorney for the Texas 143rd Judicial District, and Dr. Ron Green, retired hydrologist.Sarah Stogner is the elected District Attorney for the 143rd Judicial District in rural West Texas. A West Texas landowner herself, she has become one of the state’s most vocal advocates for holding the oil and gas industry accountable for improperly plugged legacy wells—known as “zombie wells”—that threaten land, water, and property rights across Texas. She is the founder of Zombie Wells, a platform that connects affected landowners with regulatory data and legal resources. In 2022, Sarah ran for Texas Railroad Commissioner, advancing to the Republican primary runoff in a race that sharpened her focus on the Commission’s chronic failure to enforce plugging obligations and pursue successor liability against the majors. She brings a ground-level perspective that combines courtroom experience, regulatory policy knowledge, and the firsthand reality of owning land in oil country.Dr. Ron Green is a retired hydrologist, formerly with the Southwest Research Institute and the consulting firm, Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber. He has specialized in groundwater hydrology and environmental geophysics, with a focus on water resource assessment and karst hydrology. He has volunteered on the state board of trustees of The Nature Conservancy in Texas, serving as chair of its Conservation and Science Committee. He has also served as board chair for the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance.For a deeper dive into this topic, read their paper published in the Texas Water Journal: https://twj-ojs-tdl.tdl.org/twj/article/view/7212.Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making  waves!Also, just a note that Talk+Water has been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world by FeedSpot and MillionPodcasts!