TEXAS · WELLS · STARR COUNTY · HOWELL, J.J. LEASE · API 42-427-31469 · DISTRICT 04
Howell J.J. #4
Starr County · La Copita (Vicksburg Cons.) field · Producing · Vertical
Howell J.J. #4 (API 42-427-31469) is a well in Starr County operated by Merit Energy Company, completed January 5, 1981 and listed as producing on the RRC schedule.
The RRC has issued one drilling permit, issued October 15, 1980, permitted to 9,165 ft.
It was permitted by Shell Oil Company and has since transferred to Merit Energy Company on the wellbore schedule.
No lease production has been reported under this well’s leases.
Operator of record
Permitted by Shell Oil Company; the EWA schedule now lists a different operator.
- Based in
- Dallas, TX
- P-5 status
- Active (A)
- P-5 last filed
- Nov 7, 2025
- Permits on file
- 1,049
- Phone
- (972) 701-8377
SOURCE · RRC EWA WELLBORE SCHEDULE
What each RRC source says
| Wellbore schedule | Merit Energy Company |
| Production reports | Merit Energy Companythrough Apr 2026 |
| Latest permit | Shell Oil CompanyOct 15, 1980 |
The sources disagree, which usually means a transfer or a lease-level production filing by a different entity. Petrora goes with the schedule.
- 9,165
- total depth, ft
- 1
- permits on file
- Oct 15, 1980
- last permit issued
- Jan 5, 1981
- completed
- 0
- cumulative oil, bbl
- 5.31M
- cumulative gas, mcf
PRODUCTION FROM PDQ LEASE REPORTS · Jan 1993 THROUGH Jul 2026
Regulatory status · RRC wellbore file
- Schedule
- ON SCHEDULE
- Completed
- Jan 5, 1981
- Shut in
- —
- Plugged
- —
Operator's P-5 on the schedule: Active (A)
Surface location
No coordinates on the permit record yet. The RRC's GIS record usually lands within days of issuance; historical master-file permits never carry one.
Lease production
PDQ LEASE REPORTS · REPORTED THROUGH APR 2026
Texas reports oil by lease, not by well. These are the lease this well is completed on; this well is the only one on it.Why →
| Lease | Field | Reporting operator | Wells | Oil, bbl | Gas, mcf | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howell, J.J. G-4-92087 | La Copita (Vicksburg X) | Merit Energy Company | 1 | 0 | 5.31M | Jan 1993 – Jul 2026 |
Gas, mcf lease total
Last 12 months 37,895 · prior 12 39,030(-3%)
Chain of custody
Every operator that reported production on this well's lease, in order.
- 1Shell Western E&P Inc.Jan 1993 → Feb 2000
- 2Shell Western E&PMar 2000 → Apr 2011
- 3OXY USA Inc.May 2011 → Apr 2017
- 4Merit Energy CompanyMay 2017 → Apr 2026
Permits
| Permit | Type | Operator | Received | Issued | Spud | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95633-99 | Drill | Shell Oil Company | Oct 15, 1980 | Oct 15, 1980 | Oct 18, 1980 | 10,300 |
Completions
| Completed | Lease | Field | Operator | Status | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 1981 | Howell J.J. G-4-92087 | La Copita (Vicksburg Cons.) | Merit Energy Company | Producing | 9,165 |
Perforations
Perforated and open-hole intervals.
| From | To | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 9,056 | 9,144 | Perforated |
Casing
Strings as reported, shallowest first.
| Casing in | Set at | Hole in | Cement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.75 | 1,266 | 14.75 | 657 S |
| 7.625 | 7,096 | 9.875 | 990 S |
| 2.875 | 8,645 | — | — |
| 5 | 9,158 | 6.75 | 375 S |
Completion filings
W-2 and G-1 reports on record in the RRC wellbore file, newest first. The suffix identifies the wellbore or completion event. About these reports →
| Suffix | Filed | W-2 / G-1 date | Logs referenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Jan 12, 1984 | Feb 11, 1981 | — |
The source documents
Petrora holds the structured record. The scanned filings live at the RRC; these links open its search already filled in for this API.
- Wellbore filings for 42-427-31469 → W-2, G-1, plugging reports, as PDFs
- Completion packets for 42-427-31469 → scanned completion filings
Log images are in archives with no per-well link: the RRC's Neubus archive (2004 onward). then paste it into their search.
About this data
Permits from the RRC OGA049M master and daily daf420 files; wellbore and operator of record from the EWA schedule, weekly; completions, formation tops, casing, and perforations from the dbf900 wellbore file; production from PDQ lease reports, which lag two to three months; injection from UIC permits, H-10 reports, and TexNet daily volumes; earthquakes from the TexNet catalog.
New to these records? How to read a well page · API numbers · completion reports and tops · why production is by lease
Developers: this page as JSON is GET /v1/data/wells/42731469, documented in the API reference.