Report: Orphaned wells are a bigger problem than previously thought, especially in Pa.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
The Environmental Defense Fund recently released a report that stated more than 81,000 documented oil and gas wells across the United States have been left unplugged by former owners, according to State Impact Pennsylvania.
The new estimates far exceed the previous of 56,000, according to the report, titled, Documenting orphan wells across the United States.
Western Pennsylvania is home to 8,840 documented abandoned and unplugged wells and may be home to most of the country’s orphan wells. The state likely has the biggest gap between documented orphan wells and undocumented orphan wells because of its long history with oil production, as the birthplace of the industry in the U.S. in 1859.
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