The RRC maintains a wellbore master record for every well it regulates. The public extract of that record is the OG_WELLBORE_EWA file, which Petrora loads weekly. Where the drilling permit says what an operator intended and the completion report says what was built, the wellbore file says what the well is now.
What it contains
One row per wellbore, with:
- Current operator name and number, as recorded on the RRC's schedule.
- Well type: the regulatory classification. The common values are producing, shut in, temporarily abandoned, injection, and no production. Less common ones include water supply, storage, and wells not eligible for an allowable.
- On schedule: whether the well is on the RRC's proration schedule, which is the list of wells the commission expects reports for. Roughly a third of wellbores in the file are on schedule at any time; the rest are plugged, never completed, or otherwise off the books.
- Completion, shut-in, and plug dates.
- Field and lease assignment, total depth, and the most recent permit number.
- The operator's P-5 status.
About two thirds of wellbores in the file have no well type. Those are mostly permits that were never drilled, holes that were plugged before the electronic record, and other wells with nothing to classify.
Why it decides the operator of record
Wells change hands, and the drilling permit never changes to reflect that. When a well is sold, the buyer files a transfer and the RRC updates the wellbore schedule. So the wellbore file is the state's own answer to "who operates this well today". Petrora uses it first, falls back to the most recent permit when a well has no wellbore row, and flags the well page when the two disagree. See operator numbers and the P-5.
Status on a well page
The status badge at the top of a well page is derived in this order: plugged if a plug date is recorded, shut in if a shut-in date is recorded, otherwise the on-schedule classification, otherwise completed if there is a completion date, and permitted if none of those apply. The underlying dates are shown further down so you can check the derivation.