Dealing With Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells, And Helping Artists Of Color (Sept. 30, 2021)

On Thursday’s Houston Matters: Texas State Senators are angry about a power grid winterization loophole for natural gas companies that was built into a law they approved this year. We discuss what exactly it means and the response from the Texas Railroad Commission.

Also this hour: The current iteration of Pres. Biden’s infrastructure bill proposes spending $4.7 billion on decommissioning orphaned oil and gas wells. These are oil well sites that were operated by companies that became financially insolvent and entered bankruptcy. It then falls upon state governments and, ultimately, taxpayers to pay for and properly decommission their abandoned assets. We learn more about efforts to deal with these sites.

Then, local activist Ashley Dedmon talks about serving as a caregiver for her mother during her battle with breast cancer and for her father during his battle with prostate cancer. And she discusses a new initiatve from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to reduce the breast cancer mortality rate among Black women. The organization’s annual Race for the Cure is Saturday morning at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston.

And we learn more about the Black Indigenous People of Color Arts Network and Fund, which plans to offer financial help to artists of color in Greater Houston. The deadline to apply for the first round of funds is Oct. 22.