The global oil-field expert who’s demanding the industry clean up its act

Hawk Dunlap is the well-control specialist the oil industry desperately needs. He spent decades fearlessly cleaning up operations all over the world, including in the most dangerous nations ravaged by terrorism, war, and the drug trade. 

Then he came home to Texas — only to discover some of the worst oil fields he’s ever seen. Gushing zombie wells, which were declared “dead” long ago, are suddenly springing back to life, shooting massive, poisonous geysers into the sky and creating nightmarish lakes full of toxic brine. Crops, homes and businesses are being destroyed. 

A sixth-generation Texan and 4th-generation oil man, he knows the industry inside and out. The best executives listen to him, bring him in, and have him design and lead projects. The worst leaders try to hide from him and the growing movement around his message.

There’s a reason the media has covered Hawk extensively: They see the real difference he’s making. Texas papers overwhelmingly supported his run for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the industry. (The people who said he had no shot against career politicians were proven right.) 

Praising his “Josh Brolin vibe,” Mother Jones reported on how Hawk and his partner, Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner, have “gained an avid following by documenting the environmental disasters caused by abandoned wells” on social media. “The two make the blight charming—even funny.”

Hawk travels across the state helping people struggling with these issues. He also consults, speaks, and educates all sorts of businesses and organizations. Every industry is affected by this problem, he explains. The next zombie well could be underneath an office, supply center, or even a home. Every industry can play a role in ending the scourge.

Hawk’s message also resonates far beyond this one challenge. He calls for a blue-collar rebellion — a time for industries and society to listen to the hard-working laborers who bring unmatched expertise to tackle a wide array of challenges.

Looking to get in touch? Connect with Hawk below.

Looking to report a zombie well? Visit zombiewells.com.