Texas lawmakers called it “a regulatory ‘no-man’s land’” that allowed oil and gas industries and utility providers to neglect electrical safety problems near well-site locations, before exposed wiring and dilapidated electrical equipment on a dry Texas Panhandle sparked the largest wildfire in Texas history.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest of several fires that started in late February in the Texas panhandle, scorched more than one million acres before the Texas A&M Forest Service declared it 100% contained on March 16.
The Texas House of Representatives committee investigating the February 2024 Panhandle wildfires heard testimony from ranchers, investigators, the AgriLife Extension Service, and the president of Xcel Energy's New Mexico and Texas Southwestern Public Service Company over three days of hearings in Pampa, Texas, near where the fires burned.
Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) chaired the investigative committee that included Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) and Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), as well as panhandle landowners Jason Abraham and James Henderson.
According to the committee's summary report, submitted Wednesday, the largest and most destructive fires were caused by power lines and other electrical equipment in disrepair because “irresponsible” oil and gas operators and utility providers were not held accountable.
Two people died, and more than 130 homes were burned in the fires.
Georgia-based Osmose Utility Services identified the power pole that ignited the Smokehouse Creek Fire as decaying and in need of replacement, but they did not appear at the committee hearings. Electricity provider Xcel Energy acknowledged their responsibility but denied negligence caused the fire.
Oil and natural gas operators, particularly those responsible for non-producing or low-producing “stripper wells,” are among the most common contributors to wildfires, according to the report, which cited a Railroad Commission inspector saying 32,000 such wells exist in the 26 Panhandle counties.
The report refers to the regulatory oversight of stripper well operators as "grossly deficient."
Lawsuits have already been filed by homeowners and ranchers against Xcel Energy, Osmose, and others. The report cites testimony from the hearings indicating the total economic loss may ultimately exceed $1 billion.
According to the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, around 15,000 individual head of cattle were lost in the wildfires. The Texas Department of Agriculture says more than 85 percent of Texas cattle production occurs in the Panhandle.
After the fires started, high winds and rough, dry terrain over a wide area with poor access to water made containment harder for emergency responders and firefighters who also had to deal with logistics and coordination issues from failing equipment.
“Although volunteer firefighters fought valiantly to contain the wildfires,” the report states, “response efforts were inhibited by a lack of properly positioned, readily available, and timely dispatched air support on top of ineffective communication and coordination among agencies, local governments, and responders due in part to communications equipment that lacked interoperability.”
“A significant correlation between high winds and electrical system failures highlights need for improved resiliency planning,” the report said, adding the risks unique to power poles, “both those owned by utility providers and those located on property leased to or controlled by oil and gas operators, must be prioritized.”
The committee is asking for further oversight of oil and gas operators and utilities, calling on the Public Utilities Commission to study and report on potentially modifying existing standards and regulations for inspecting power poles, including burying utility lines in risk-prone areas.
The report also recommends increased funding and job protection for volunteer firefighters, better communication with the Texas Forest Service, and state support for a ready firefighting air fleet.
Officials added efforts must be made to better inform Panhandle residents of available fire mitigation strategies long before wildfires become a risk.