Plugging Away at the Millions of Derelict Oil and Gas Wells in the US

Plugging Away at the Millions of Derelict Oil and Gas Wells in the US

The Well Done Foundation is remediating abandoned and orphaned fossil fuel wells that pollute water, soils and the atmosphere. But plugging a borehole can be even harder than drilling it.Story and photos by J. MattOKMULGEE, Okla.—There are a few truisms in the oil and gas industry: It is crowded with prodigious egos, there is always a boom around the corner and some industry operators aren’t above walking away from their mess at played-out well …

Millions of Abandoned Oil Wells Across America Leak Toxins into Environment as Cleanup Efforts Struggle to Keep Pace

Across the American landscape, millions of abandoned oil and gas wells sit like environmental time bombs, slowly leaking methane into the atmosphere and contaminating groundwater supplies. These “orphaned wells” represent a dirty legacy of an industry known for walking away from exhausted drilling sites when cleanup costs exceed potential profits. The scale of the problem is staggering. From Oklahoma to Pennsylvania, countless wells have been le…