California Lets Companies Keep 'Dangerous' Oil Wells Unplugged Forever

capitalandmain.com California Lets Companies Keep 'Dangerous' Oil Wells Unplugged Forever

An idle well fee program is masking vast cleanup costs while harming residents and the climate.

But while the Orphan Well Prevention Act will help reduce the number of abandoned and orphaned wells — currently around 5,300 — industry watchers said it does little to address the looming issue of wells that remain dormant indefinitely, some of which leak climate-warming methane and toxic fumes.

6 comments

Conservatives complain endlessly about how "liberal" California is, yet deeply conservative shit like this keeps happening. When will Republicants realize neo-liberals are just conservatives with more tact?
- Never, because theyre on the other side of the culture war. Republitards will put their bigoted beliefs before everything else.
- Liberals don't hate all the things I hate so I hate them for not hating the right people to hate. Jesus said so in the Bible.

These wells might become prime targets for eco terrorists. They should be capped with cement
- Damaging an idle well makes little sense. It has no impact on the oil company and does environmental damage.
  Proper end of life for a well means not just some cap on top, but a plug or multiple plugs down in the borehole to prevent hydrocarbons from migrating into aquifers and salt water from migrating into freshwater aquifers
  
  @silence7
  the oil companies are the eco terrorists
  @MisterD @climate

6 comments