Mainstream News
- Abandoned wells are a huge climate problem. The United States has more abandoned wells than we thought – The Washington Post
- Forgotten oil and gas wells linger, leaking toxic chemicals – AP News
- How the US Plans to Plug 1 Million Toxic ‘Orphan’ Oil Wells – Insider
- ‘Orphaned’ oil wells to squeeze state coffers. The huge number of wells already abandoned and causing environmental harm is only going to grow because of the current oil market problems. – POLITICO
- There are millions of orphaned gas and oil wells leaking methane in the U.S. — plugging them will cost billions – CNBC
- There could be millions of abandoned wells in the US. Plugging them is a monumental task – The Washington Post
- With money on the table, states identify 120,000 leak-prone oil wells. Last year’s federal infrastructure law gives states a financial incentive to document these potentially hazardous sites – The Washington Post
Independent News
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EDF Launches New Map Showing Location of Every Documented Orphan Well in United States – Environmental Defense Fund
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Finally, a plan — and money — to stop pollution from tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells – Environmental Defense Fund
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It’s Closing Time The Huge Bill to Abandon Oilfields Comes Early – Carbon Tracker Initiative
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New maps unveil scale of U.S. orphan well challenge, highlight solutions at hand – Environmental Defense Fund
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Orphan Wells The Bill Comes Due for 150 Years of Drilling. Big Oil is leaving behind a colossal and dangerous mess on its way out. We need help from President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda to get started on the cleanup, but industry and not taxpayers must ultimately foot the bill. – NRDC
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Taxpayers may have to pay $280 billion in onshore plugging costs for oil and gas wells – Carbon Tracker Initiative
Arizona
California
Canada
- $1B orphaned oil and gas well cleanup bill estimate leaves out ‘most expensive part,’ critics say. Cost doesn’t include cleanup of pipelines or the oilsands, critics say – CBC News
- $1.7B to clean up orphaned and abandoned wells could create thousands of jobs – CBC News
- Alberta’s looming multibillion-dollar orphan wells problem prompts auditor general probe – CBC News
- Budget officer finds $1B oil and gas orphan well liability by 2025; critics claim underestimate – Globalnews.ca
- Documents reveal inside look as Alberta officials prepared for a ‘landslide’ of orphan wells – CTV News
- Inactive oil and gas wells in Alberta Part 1 – Global News – Video
- Insolvency leads to 5 times as many orphan wells to seal in Saskatchewan – Global News – Video
- Oil firm ceasing operations, leaving thousands of Alberta wells untended – Globalnews.ca
- Orphan wells set to become Canada’s billion-dollar problem – Canada’s National Observer
- Study finds abandoned oil and gas wells place unfair burden on landowners, taxpayers – Globalnews.ca
- The growing cost to clean up abandoned and orphaned wells – The Conversation
Louisiana
- Abandoned oil and natural gas wells pollute the environment across Louisiana – PBS NewsHour – Video
- Home to 4,605 orphan oil and gas wells, Louisiana seeks federal money to plug them – nola.com
- In Louisiana, orphan wells seen as an ‘accident waiting to happen’ – PBS NewsHour
- Louisiana plugs 100 abandoned oil wells with federal grant – AP News
- Louisiana to plug more than 250 orphaned oil wells with money from Biden’s infrastructure law- Shreveport Times
- State and US officials tout spending to plug ‘orphan wells’ AP News
- What’s an ‘orphan well ‘ Louisiana oil recession leaves plenty of them behind – nola.com
Montana
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
- ‘All for naught.’ Biden orphan well plan faces trouble in Pa. – POLITICO
- ‘Orphan well’ mishap stirs suspicion and frustration in tiny Pennsylvania town – NBC News
- ‘Orphaned’ wells are a problem in Pennsylvania and there are more of them than we thought – StateImpact Pennsylvania
- Other Voices Plugging abandoned wells boosts local economies – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Texas
- Cleanup of abandoned oil and gas wells could cost Texans $117 billion – News Advocate
- Dying oil companies’ parting gift millions in cleanup costs. One Texas oil and gas company left the state responsible for almost $10 million after its 2019 bankruptcy. – Grist
- One researcher’s quest to quantify the environmental cost of abandoned oil wells. Unplugged wells could be quietly leaking millions of pounds of methane in West Texas. – Grist
West Virginia
Presentation
Facts and Stats
- Orphan wells – Wikipedia
- Orphan wells in Alberta, Canada – Wikipedia
- Orphaned wells in the United States – Wikipedia
Fact sheets
- National
- California
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- West Virginia
Reports
- IDLE AND ORPHAN OIL AND GAS WELLS: STATE AND PROVINCIAL REGULATORY STRATEGIES 2021 – Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission – PDF
- Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990-2016: Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells (2018) – PDF
- Oil and Gas Regulation and Orphaned Wells – Office of Conservation – Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources – PDF
- Overwhelming Interest in Orphan Well Infrastructure Investments – U.S. Department of the Interior