Texas Drilling Permits: Week of July 29–August 05, 2026 — RRC Activity Report

Texas Drilling Permits: Week of July 29–August 05, 2026 — RRC Activity Report

The Railroad Commission of Texas recorded 245 new drilling permits for the week of July 29 through August 05, 2026, reflecting continued activity across the Permian Basin despite a pullback in crude prices. WTI crude settled at $76.16 per barrel, down $8.51 from the prior close, a move that operators will be watching closely as they plan drilling programs into the fall.

Eddy County led all counties with 73 new permits, followed by Lea County with 49. Ector County posted 18 permits, while Reeves County and Winkler County rounded out the top five with 11 and 8 permits, respectively. The Permian Basin accounted for 122 of the week's total permits, underscoring the region's continued dominance in Texas drilling activity even as commodity prices softened.

On the operator side, EOG Resources Inc. was the most active filer, combining for 39 permits when its two listed entries are added together (26 permits under EOG RESOURCES INC and 13 under EOG RESOURCES, INC.). XTO Energy, Inc. followed with 22 permits, and Permian Resources Operating, LLC filed 19. Continental Resources, Inc. rounded out the top operators with 12 new permits for the week.

Several high-priority permits stood out among this week's filings. Mewbourne Oil Company filed two permits in Reeves County (Permit #917477 and Permit #917478), both with estimated spud dates still to be determined. Comstock Oil & Gas, LLC filed two permits in Leon County (Permit #917468 and Permit #917469), also pending spud scheduling. Additionally, WPX Energy Permian, LLC filed a permit in Eddy County (Permit #NM-30-015-58624), reflecting ongoing cross-border Permian development activity along the Texas-New Mexico line.

For land teams, midstream planners, and oilfield service companies, permit filings remain one of the earliest and most reliable signals of where capital and drilling crews are headed next. With Eddy and Lea counties combining for nearly half of this week's total permit volume, operators with acreage or service contracts in the western Permian should expect sustained rig demand in the near term, even as lower crude prices introduce some uncertainty into longer-range planning.

DownHole Digital monitors RRC permit filings in real time, giving E&P teams, land professionals, and oilfield service providers early visibility into where operators like EOG Resources, XTO Energy, Permian Resources, Continental Resources, Mewbourne Oil, Comstock Oil & Gas, and WPX Energy Permian are staking new locations across Texas counties. Tracking this data weekly helps teams anticipate rig moves, service demand, and acreage competition before it shows up in headline rig counts.

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