Target: Lee Zeldin, Administrator of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Goal: Find solutions to nation’s growing orphan oil and gas well problem.
An estimated 120,000 “orphan” oil and gas wells are sprawled across America. These unplugged and abandoned wells lack an operator. They often leak large amounts of methane and carcinogenic substances. And the companies that abandon these wells often escape responsibility. If the wells do eventually get plugged, it’s typically at taxpayer expense…to the tune of billions of dollars.
The state of Colorado, home to roughly 1,000 orphan wells, has attempted to lessen this burden by going after an abandoned well’s prior operators for financial liability. But even this approach is still costing the state – and taxpayers – an overwhelming amount of money every year. And until these wells are plugged, the environmental dangers remain ever-present.
Sign the petition below to demand the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invest in a proactive, strengthened approach for tackling the epidemic of orphaned wells.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Administrator Zeldin,
The EPA’s Superfund may offer some support for orphan well cleanup costs, but the waiting list is long and the financial gaps caused by irresponsible operators keep growing. Even proactive states like Colorado are dealing with huge losses that ultimately come at the expense of taxpayers. And the economic crunch perhaps pales in comparison to the environmental and public health damage wrought by the 120,000-plus orphaned wells currently in the United States.
Lack of compliance and lack of enforcement of regulations are not helping. Please explore and implement better options for decommissioning these hazards and for holding reckless parties fully accountable.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Strange Happenings
This could and should be fixed! You know this and anyone else knows this. Climate change demands we do! We are heading into a stupid time in government where money rules but that is no excuse to break the laws. Oh I forgot, the Supreme Court has done away with the laws.
America is a land of laws but no justice!
Thank you to the GOP and the Supreme Court!
Lack of compliance and lack of enforcement of regulations are not helping. Please explore and implement better options for decommissioning these hazards and for holding reckless parties fully accountable.
Zeldin is a pos MAGAt. Earth is screwed.
The upside of this chaos? MAGATS ARE CRYING ALL OVER THE PLACE ABOUT JOB LOSSES. Get me a box of fucking tissues.
Stop this EXTREME ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME!!!!!
FIX this EXTREME ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME!!
These projects, maybe they can be crowd funded instead to get anything done maybe stop relying on gov funds and going after liability. If there are people in general whoc care and are willing to donate or gift to clean this, up try it. This is the first Im hearing about this so more awareness is neccessary. Also policies made for the company to clean upafter and plug should be in the contracts from the start. Why they were not makes no sense
ask trump… he wants to make america great again? So clean up these 120,000 “orphan” oil and gas wells”
…or are they too great as they stand!!!!!!!????
Why should anyone else pay for this pollution and not the ones who caused it and profited from it? Beats me. All you guys need is appropriate laws, but if they are not there, they will not be made during the reign of MAGA…Shame.
abandoned ….
STOP ZOMBIE DRILLING INTO THE ENVIRONMENT IT’S SENSELESS!!!
With all the money that these energy companies make, I think that THEY should clean up after themselves. They are worse than a toddler who won’t put away his toys. They should have told us over 100 years ago that the burning of oil and gas would cause climate upheaval, but it’s all about the money. So I’m sure they don’t care if their old wells leak methane and other chemicals, just move on to the next drill sight.