The Houston Chronicle recently ranked the top ten companies that sought permits to inject water and gases underground in 2019, either for disposal or in order to boost oil and natural gas production.

Topping out the list was Occidental Petroleum, which is seeking 81 injection permits – over twice as many as any other permit-seeker in the state, according to the Chronicle. The permits were filed under four subsidiary companies of Occidental Petroleum.

Eighteen of those permits were for an oil field wastewater disposal subsidiary named Oxy. The intent is for the sites to be used to dispose of saltwater.

The other permits sought under Occidental Petroleum subsidiaries seem to be related to the use of carbon dioxide injection to boost well output in oil and natural gas production.

Solaris Water Midstream came in second with 36, and in third and fourth were Mesquite SWD and Kinder Morgan, each with 35.

The total number of permits sought in 2019 – 741 – was 59 fewer than were sought in 2018.