Oil and gas leaders at Tribune panel say the industry’s crucial to West Texas but pollution must be addressed

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Industry experts and local leaders said Wednesday during a Texas Tribune event in Odessa that oil booms are vital for economic growth in the Permian Basin, but agreed that changes need to happen to reduce pollution.

Savannah Morales, CEO of the Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Stephen Robertson, executive vice president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, took part in the discussion with Tribune reporter Carlos Nogueras Ramos. Katherine Zimmerman, decarbonization director for Americas at Wood, an energy consulting and engineering company, also joined the panelists to discuss how the oil and gas industry affects local communities.

In response to a question regarding orphaned wells — including one that’s creating pools of toxic chemicals in the region — Robertson said it’s a complex situation that requires the state to determine who, if anyone, owns a leaking well.

“The industry wants to take care of the issues we have out there,” Robertson said. “The reality is, a system that helps to communicate what the issue is, register where those wells are located, and be able to have the right funding mechanism in place, is there.”

He said the state Railroad Commission has money dedicated to plugging abandoned wells, but more funds are needed. Robertson said his trade association advocates that state lawmakers devote more money to address orphaned wells — from fees and taxes paid by the industry, not taxpayers.

According to Robertson, the Permian Basin accounts for about 46% of crude oil production in the U.S., which would make the region the fourth-largest oil-producing nation in the world, if it were its own nation. Robertson also mentioned that the Saulsbury Campus Center at Odessa College, where the event was held, was built in part from an oil and gas family’s large donation.

Oil and gas production in West Texas broke records last year. The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported that Texas supplied 42% of the nation’s oil in 2023, with most of that oil coming from the Permian Basin.

Morales said the industry is the backbone of the local economy, and oil and gas companies support the community by funding items such as kids sports jerseys or donating to local events.

“The workers that come and move here also shop at our mom and pop shops,” Morales said. “It’s a huge impact. Whenever the oil slows down, we have a lot of businesses that will shut down. So it’s important to keep the industry going because that’s what we’re made of here.”

Zimmerman, whose organization focuses on how to reduce emissions from the oil and gas industry through carbon capture, said her team is working on projects to eliminate pollution without affecting people’s everyday lives and to make the technology cheaper.

“We’ve found ways to take down the cost to drill a well,” Zimmerman said. “That’s the kind of curve we’re looking for with carbon capture. But the only way we’re going to get that is for us to try new things.”

Disclosure: The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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