Noxxe Oilfield Cleanup Starts Tomorrow in Forest Cove

Dean Southward, a spokesperson for the Texas Railroad Commission, confirmed today that cleanup of the toxic mess left behind by Noxxe Oil & Gas near the West Fork in Forest Cove will begin tomorrow. Noxxe abandoned its lease after Harvey flooded the entire field, toppled tanks, and destroyed the stripper-well operation.

The Railroad Commission tried unsuccessfully to get Noxxe to clean up the site for 2.5 years. After Noxxe declared bankruptcy in 2020, the Railroad Commission seized Noxxe’s remaining assets. Aerial photos show those include abandoned tanks, wells, pipe, vehicles, and more. Now the cleanup becomes their responsibility and it will be no small task. See below.

Photos Taken January 1, 2021, Before Start of Cleanup

Abandoned Noxxe well, rusting tanks and a toppled heater treater near Forest Cove Townhomes also destroyed by Harvey.
Another portion of Noxxe’s field lies between the West Fork and the Forest Cove little league fields. The noxious stench of spilled crude could be smelled from the fields and surrounding homes.
Noxxe
The Railroad Commission intends to plug all the abandoned wells.
Noxxe
The site contains about twenty tanks which can be auctioned or cut up for scrap metal.
Noxxe
Topless tanks without netting over them exposed area wildlife and bird to danger.
Noxxe
Home or office on the lease, also destroyed by Harvey. The company also left behind at least two campers.
Noxxe
Closer to the river, Noxxe left behind another well, a drilling rig, a communication tower and five more tanks, two of the toppled. Water on this site is suspect. Aerial photos taken after Harvey show oil swirling in the river.

Thanks for the cleanup go first and foremost to the Texas Railroad Commission, monitors more than 440,000 oil wells in the state. Thanks also go to State Representative Dan Huberty who helped accelerate the schedule once he became aware of the problem.

Noxxe may have a joke name – Exxon spelled backwards. But the mess left behind by the company is no laughing matter. Residents and kids who play baseball in Forest Cove will soon breathe a lot easier.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/18/2021

1238 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.