A bill that would require operators to plug long-abandoned oil and gas wells in Texas passed both houses of the state legislator with bipartisan support.

Lawmakers approved the bill, written by state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, that would require the plugging of wells that have been inactive for at least 15 years, according to the Texas Tribune.

Regulators estimate that Texas has more than 150,000 of these wells, with nearly 8,900 considered “orphaned” because the owner went bankrupt or no longer exists. At least eight of them have burst since October 2024, spewing brine and costing the state millions to repair, the news outlet reported.

The bill drew the approval of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, whose president, Todd Staples, told the Texas Tribune that “the owner should be responsible for the plugging.” The bill allows for companies to request extensions to the 15-year deadline for a variety of reasons.

Commission Shift, a nonprofit that pushed for better regulation of abandoned wells, welcomed the industry’s support of the bill, though executive director Virginia Palacios told the Texas Tribune that the rules would have been more stringent.

The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who can choose to kill the legislation or sign it into law. If approved, the Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator, would have until September 2027 to begin enforcing the rules.