Walker Ranch - Case Study at Scale

Carbon X Credits, a leading force in methane mitigation and verified carbon credit generation, has launched its flagship large-scale pilot program in the heart of the Fort Worth Basin. The Walker Ranch Project targeted 24 severely neglected legacy natural gas wells, many of which have been inactive for years and were actively leaking methane into the atmosphere.

Located just west of Fort Worth near Breckenridge, Texas, the ranch represents a microcosm of the larger challenge facing the U.S. energy landscape: hundreds of thousands of low-producing, non-core wells left behind through decades of asset transfers, bankruptcies, and operator turnover. These wells, while no longer profitable, remain a significant source of uncontrolled methane emissions—a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period (IPCC AR6).

Through innovative collaboration and climate financing, the Walker Ranch Project is being executed as Carbon X’s largest field initiative to date. Work includes:

• Baseline Measurement – Advanced methane quantification performed by QMS Technicians from True Methane Technologies using EPA-approved methods and precision laser detection equipment.
• Permanent Well Plugging – Multi-barrier isolation strategies implemented by Orr Energy Services, ensuring long-term containment validated by regulators and third-party oversight.
• Permanence Assurance – Cement tagging, GPS logging, and long-term emissions profiling to guarantee that methane abatement is both permanent and auditable.
• Habitat Restoration – Surface reclamation in partnership with Quail Forever and Texas Parks & Wildlife, returning prairie ecosystems and pollinator habitats to the ranch.

The project generated ~325,000 high-integrity carbon credits, verified under top-tier protocols and backed by transparent scientific data. These credits not only represent measurable climate benefits but also provide a replicable model for scaling methane abatement across the millions of legacy wells scattered throughout U.S. onshore basins.

By transforming environmental liabilities into verifiable climate assets, the Walker Ranch Project demonstrates how carbon markets can finance immediate action—delivering near-term methane reductions while supporting the long-term transition to a cleaner, lower-leak energy economy.

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Methane: The Invisible Threat

Methane is often called the hidden greenhouse gas. Invisible to the naked eye and odorless in low concentrations, it escapes silently from millions of neglected oil and gas wells across the United States. Yet its impact is anything but invisible: methane is more than 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period (IPCC AR6), making it one of the most urgent short-lived climate pollutants to address.

Unlike CO₂, which lingers in the atmosphere for centuries, methane’s effects are front-loaded—meaning reductions today deliver outsized benefits within our lifetimes. Because methane breaks down more quickly in the atmosphere than CO₂, cutting emissions now is one of the most effective ways to make near-term pollution progress.

The challenge is scale. Millions of inactive, unplugged wells dot the U.S. landscape (EPA), many leaking methane unchecked for decades. These wells are often legacy assets acquired through bankruptcies, neglected by undercapitalized operators, or simply abandoned when production ceased. Without intervention, they continue to leak daily, polluting air and groundwater while imposing hidden liabilities on landowners and communities.

Carbon X addresses this invisible threat head-on. By detecting leaks with precision equipment, permanently plugging wells using best-in-class techniques, and validating results through multiple layers of third-party verification, we transform methane abatement into a verifiable, financeable solution. Every well sealed and every ton of methane stopped represents a tangible win: for the climate, for local ecosystems, and for the integrity of sustainability efforts.

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“Legacy wells are leaking today, and we can’t afford to wait for policy shifts or long regulatory timelines to address them. At Carbon X, we’ve built a model that delivers immediate, verifiable climate impact by transforming environmental liabilities into high-integrity carbon assets. Every well we seal is one more step toward a cleaner energy future and proof that market-based solutions can drive real change at scale.”

‍— Whitney Landress, CEO, Carbon X Credits

Wells On Your Property?

Do you have old oil or gas wells on your land that you think may be leaking? Carbon X can help. Our team specializes in evaluating legacy wells and developing solutions to permanently seal them, stop harmful methane emissions, and restore the land to a healthier state.

Many of the wells we work on are aging, low-producing, or abandoned wells that no longer generate value for operators and often burden landowners with environmental and financial risk. By partnering with us, you can ensure your property is evaluated by experts, plugged to the highest standards, and potentially included in a carbon credit project that funds the cost of remediation.

If you believe you may have wells on your property that need attention, please reach out to our team on our Contact Page. Together, we can assess the site, determine the best path forward, and contribute to meaningful climate action while improving the value and safety of your land.

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