Unregulated oilfield power lines are suspected of sparking Texas wildfires

Craig Cowden points to a pump jack on his Breezy Point Ranch in Pampa on July 7. Cowden said he often spots problems with oilfield electrical equipment such as a pumpjack with faulty wiring or a power line lying on dead grass. (Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune)

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When a spate of wildfires tore across the Texas Panhandle in February and scorched 20,000 acres of Craig Cowden’s ranch near Skellytown, he decided he had had enough. Cowden took on a second unofficial job: looking for possible fire hazards on his family land, including checking on the electric lines that power oil and gas equipment.