An abandoned oil well pipe in Western Pennsylvania. Photographer: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg
Jennifer Oldham, June 20, 2016 —
- “Some wells sunk since 1859 leak methane into homes and water
- “Citizen scientists” join regulators in race to map lost sites
“Today, about a quarter of the 3.5 million wells across America are active, leaving an inventory of 2.6 million that are no longer in use. The locations of some inactive wells are documented, but little is known of the whereabouts of wells drilled before permitting regulations were enacted 60 years ago. Only 10 percent of abandoned wells are recorded in state databases — meaning there are years of work ahead to locate and plug them. Seth Pelepko of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection says the agency has plugged only 3,000 such sites in 30 years. Read more: In the Birthplace of U.S. Oil, Methane Gas Is Leaking Everywhere – Bloomberg
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