CORPUS CHRISTI -- Using revenue from the Oilfield Cleanup Fund the Railroad Commission has selected thirty-five (35) wells in the Petronila Creek drainage basin south of Corpus Christi in Nueces, Kleberg and Jim Wells Counties for plugging. In some cases the wells were improperly plugged by operators and need to be redone. The object is to remove a potential souce of salinity in Petronila Creek. Thirteen (13) wells will be selected for plugging in fiscal year 2003, eight (8) wells in fiscal year 2004, and fourteen (14) wells in 2005. The wells with the highest priority, which includes factors relating to the environment, health, safety and wildlife, will be plugged first.

[COMMENT: If, and I repeat IF, they ever construct the Marvin Nichols Reservoirs, they will certainly have to do a lot of oil-well plugging in this general area. The Talco oilfields already leak like sieves. R.]

Laredo: The Railroad Commission has dedicated $176,100 from the Oilfield Cleanup Fund to plug twelve (12) wells in Jim Hogg, Zapata and Duval Counties.

Houston: Approximately $60,825.00 from the Oilfield Cleanup Fund was used to plug four wells in George Bush Park in Houston. The four wells are examples of wells illegally abandoned by unscrupulous operators and were a potential threat to usable quality ground water which occurs at 1,850 feet in the area.