DALLAS — Two elected officials in Texas are going after Exxon Mobil, a name synonymous with the state, for allegedly stuffing abandoned oil wells with piles of junk, sludge and tools so other companies could not drill in the same places.
The Texas Supreme Court recently reversed a jury’s finding that the oil company intentionally wrecked the wells nearly 20 years ago.
The state land commissioner and comptroller, however, don’t want Texas to drop the case.
“They sabotaged the wells,” said Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who began a campaign against Exxon in July by asking state regulators to levy massive fines.
State Comptroller Susan Combs filed asked the court to rehear the case.
Texas is a huge beneficiary of Exxon’s success in the oil patch. The company says it paid nearly $900 million in taxes and royalties to the state in 2008 and has more than 38,000 employees and retirees living in Texas. The Associated Press
