PXP

Plains Exploration & Production Company, also known as PXP, describes itself as "an independent oil and gas company engaged in the activities of acquiring, developing, exploring and producing oil and gas properties primarily in the United States." The company is based in Houston, Texas, and was formed as a Delaware corporation in 2002.

Operations
PXP owns oil and gas properties with principal operations in:
 * Onshore California, including the Inglewood oil field;
 * Offshore California;
 * the Gulf Coast Region, including Haynesville Shale and Eagle Ford Shale;
 * the Gulf of Mexico; and
 * the Rocky Mountains.

Click here for a map of their operations.

Fracking in California
In 2012 it was reported that PXP was using fracking in the Inglewood oil field, the nation's largest urban oil field, which has been operating in Los Angeles since the 1920s and extends up through parts of the central coast and San Joaquin Valley.

A 2006 release of noxious gases at the Inglewood Field galvanized community members and environmental groups to sue Los Angeles County, forcing it to augment protections the county had previously created in partnership with PXP. The parties reached a settlement in 2011 that further limited PXP's oil drilling activities, including reducing the number of wells the company could drill. As part of the settlement agreement, PXP agreed to conduct a study that examined the feasibility and impact of current and future fracking at the oil field. It would be the first study to look at the impact of fracking in California, including its impact on groundwater.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the community that surrounds the oil field did not know about the 2012 test fracking until March 9, after the fracking was complete. According to FracFocus, the two vertical wells were fracked in September 2011 and January 2012. PXP used up to 168,000 gallons of water laced with chemicals in one well to a depth of about one and half miles. The Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region, is concerned the impact such practices may have on the above water supplies.

Contact Information
Plains Exploration & Production Company 700 Milam, Suite 3100 Houston, TX 77002 Phone: 713.579.6000 Fax: 713.579.6611 Email: investor@pxp.com

Related SourceWatch resources

 * ExxonMobil
 * United States and fracking
 * California and fracking
 * Marcellus Shale