abandoned oil wells News

Texas Regulators Grapple With Plugging Leaky Abandoned Wells

In arid West Texas, water seeps and bubbles from old wells, sometimes carrying oil, brackish water or other pollutants to the surface. But the real danger lies underground — where oil, salt, and toxic minerals could migrate into the aquifers …

Pressure Mounts on Texas Regulator as ‘Zombie’ Oil Wells Spill Toxic Fluids

PECOS COUNTY, Texas – On a sprawling ranch in Pecos County in late July, oil well control specialist Hawk Dunlap used a backhoe to uncover an abandoned or so-called zombie well that had sprung back to life despite being plugged …

Oil Slick Off Texas Coast Tied to Abandoned Platform in Gulf

Federal and state officials are developing plans to respond to an oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico tied to an abandoned platform at least eight miles off the Texas coast. State officials were notified about the apparent spill on …

Abandoned Louisiana Oil Wells Slated to Receive Clean Up in Infrastructure Bill

About $33 million of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan recently signed into law by President Joe Biden will go toward cleaning up 277 of an estimated 15,000 abandoned oil and gas wells on federal land, the nation’s interior secretary …

U.S. Offers States $1.15B to Clean Up Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

The Biden administration on Monday said it would make $1.15 billion available to states to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells as part of a broad effort to reduce U.S. climate warming emissions and improve health and safety in …

Forgotten Oil and Gas Wells Lingering, Leaking Toxic Chemicals

Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watt’s cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The …

Millions of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Pose Environmental, Health Risks

In May 2012, Hanson and Michael Rowe noticed an overpowering smell, like rotten eggs, seeping from an abandoned gas well on their land in Kentucky. The fumes made the retired couple feel nauseous, dizzy, and short of breath. Regulators responding …