This week, U.S. Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced the Orphan Well Grant Flexibility Act, a piece of legislation designed to empower states to maximize their operational flexibility within the Energy Policy Act of 2005 dedicated to plugging abandoned oil wells.
Braun
These orphaned oil wells, often abandoned and unchecked for years, can pose serious environmental hazards by leeching toxic chemicals into soil and contaminate essential water resources. Senators Braun and Casey are joined by Senators Cruz, Lee, Risch, Marshall, Mullin, Moran, Crapo, Schmitt, Lankford, Fetterman, and Brown in this effort.
In Indiana, there have been 1,459 reports of abandoned wells in need of remediation.
“Abandoned oil wells pose an overlooked yet serious threat to local communities’ ground and water resources,” Sen. Braun said. “I’m proud to cosponsor this bill that cuts the red tape and allows states to fast-track remediation of these orphaned wells which will ultimately protect the residents that live by them.”
Background
Orphan, or abandoned wells, are oil or gas wells that have been abandoned by fossil fuel companies and have no legal owners. These old wells, either unplugged or improperly plugged, let contaminants into surrounding lands and waters, can leak methane and other harmful air pollutants, and can reduce property values by 12 percent. Today, 14 million people are living within half a mile of an orphaned well, and 100 thousand new orphan wells are discovered each year.
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
Hold these fossil fuel companies accountable. Tax payers should not have to clean this mess up. What are Republicans thinking?