In Colorado, oil and gas companies are required by the state to fully restore all drilling sites, but time limits aren’t set for restoration, and state regulators don’t track companies’ progress.

The Denver Post reports that 72 percent of Colorado’s 47,505 inactive wells have been in the process of reclamation for more than five years. Colorado’s reclamation rules require companies to begin restoring the land as soon as three months after drilling operations cease. Within a year after wells stop producing, companies must remove equipment and debris. Financial insurance money is collected from companies by the state, and the money isn’t returned until well sites pass inspections.

In comparison to other states, Colorado’s reclamation requirements aren’t strictly enforced. In Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, oil and gas companies have to submit reclamation plans before they begin drilling.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the organization in charge of monitoring natural resources extraction and overseeing protection of the environment and public health, plans to review state rules in order to better monitor land reclamation.

Via: The Denver Post > Colorado land impact of oil and gas boom: scars spread and stay