By Shondiin Silversmith | AZ Mirror
Arizona is among five states chosen to receive funding from the Department of the Interior to address the environmental and safety hazards of orphaned oil and gas wells across the country.
“Toxic orphaned oil and gas wells have plagued American communities for generations,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a written statement.
Orphaned oil and gas wells have no known owner capable of properly plugging or closing the well and reclaiming the well site. The wells no longer produce oil and gas; when a well is orphaned, the clean-up responsibilities are left to federal and state governments.
Through funding from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, Haaland said that states and tribal nations are addressing this long-standing environmental injustice by investing in plugging orphaned oil and gas wells.
