# Texas Railroad Commission Candidate on Zombie Wells, Injection Crisis & CCS Scam | 02.23.26

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-digital-energy-5494476/texas-railroad-commission-candidate-on-zombie-wells-injection-crisis-ccs-scam-02-23-26
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-digital-energy-5494476/texas-railroad-commission-candidate-on-zombie-wells-injection-crisis-ccs-scam-02-23-26.md
Podcast: [Big Digital Energy](https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-digital-energy-5494476)
Published: 2026-02-23T18:03:48+00:00
Episode link: https://bde.collide.io/episodes/texas-railroad-commission-candidate-on-zombie-wells-injection-crisis-ccs-scam-02-23-26
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/a0967edf/f7f590eb.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/big-digital-energy-5494476/episodes/texas-railroad-commission-candidate-on-zombie-wells-injection-crisis-ccs-scam-02-23-26
Duration seconds: 4541

## Resource

Hawk Dunlap, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, pulls no punches on zombie wells, produced water injection, and why carbon capture is a taxpayer funded scam. From 27 years of international well control across 100 countries to excavating 150 leaking wells on a Texas ranch, Hawk brings the kind of boots on the ground credibility this conversation demands. The primary is March 3rd. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 - Intro and Hawk Dunlap origin story 4:46 - Well Control Management and international career 8:19 - The Container Ranch and zombie wells 13:43 - Excavating 150 wells and what they found 18:20 - Litigation, Railroad Commission, and accountability 27:18 - Produced water injection as the defining issue 28:53 - Water recycling and the orphan well fund 36:21 - Orphan well plugging program problems 45:01 - Carbon capture and why Hawk opposes it 56:28 - Railroad Commission name change 1:01:11 - AI and risk assessment for orphan wells 1:12:21 - Campaign trail and closing thoughts https://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

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## Transcript

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