Abandoned Oil and Natural Gas Wells Pose a Huge Danger To Environment and Those Who Live Nearby

There are tens of thousands of abandoned oil and natural gas wells across the United States at this very moment. Sometimes called orphan wells, these wells, although unused, pose a huge danger to those who live nearby as well as to the environment. With 4,600 orphaned wells, Louisiana is one of the states where this is a huge problem.

Source: PBS NewsHour/Youtube

Roby Chavez, an expert on these abandoned Louisiana wells, told Stephanie Sy with PBS News Hour that the impact on the environment from these abandoned wells is significant. The orphan wells leak oil, brine, other toxic chemicals, and methane. They are even responsible for taking water sources and lowering property values.

On the bright side, billions of dollars are being prepared to go to the states to help solve this problem. However, a lot of money is needed to clean up these wells, and most states don’t have enough, even with the extra funding.

Chavez says that according to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), there are around 81,000 orphan wells in 28 states and nine million people live within half a mile of an orphan well. According to an analysis by the EDF, to clean up and shut down all of these wells, would cost $6 billion.

Louisiana is one state that has a fund set up, which is given by the oil and gas industry. Now, this additional money coming from the federal government can help the state get some of these dangerous wells cleaned up. Louisiana has been able to unplug about 100 to 200 wells per year, and hopefully, this extra funding will get them cleaned up and shut down for good.

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