The U.S. House recently approved a bill led by U.S. Representative Summer Lee to locate and address the environmental risks of abandoned oil and gas wells nationwide.
Kim Lyons reports for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
In short:
- The bill proposes a five-year program under the Department of Energy to enhance data on abandoned wells, with an emphasis on the 350,000 unaccounted wells in Pennsylvania.
- The legislation, Summer Lee's first to pass the House, saw a bipartisan vote of 333-75, moving next to the Senate.
- The initiative aims to develop better well plugging practices and find unregistered wells in various landscapes.
Key quote:
"We cannot and should not accept the fact that leaky oil and gas wells from the 1800s are poisoning our communities."
— Summer Lee, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania
Why this matters:
These forgotten relics of energy extraction, often referred to simply as "orphan wells," are more than just eyesores. They represent a ticking time bomb of environmental hazards, primarily due to their potential to leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential many times greater than carbon dioxide.
