"The Biden administration has supercharged existing efforts by putting billions toward the problem. While exact figures are tough to come by, experts believe hundreds of thousands of orphan wells remain around the country."
"OIL CITY, La. -- The events that led Joe Tolbert to Well #173054 on a recent Tuesday began years ago, when President Biden promised to plug hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells that “pose an ongoing threat to the health and safety of our communities.”
Congress set aside an unprecedented $4.7 billion to fund the idea in late 2021, and by last fall the Interior Department began sending an initial $25 million to two dozen states to stamp out wells from Alabama to Alaska that were contaminating groundwater and leaking planet-warming gases.
Louisiana, home to more than 4,500 “orphan” wells — named so because often no viable owner exists — was among those to receive the infusion of federal money. The state hired outside contractors, who sought out local crews with the equipment and experience needed to do the difficult work of dismantling a long-festering environmental scourge, one well at a time."
Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post April 11, 2023.
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