While exact figures are tough to come by, experts believe hundreds of thousands of orphan wells remain around the country. Since January, his small business had found reliable work plugging dozens of rusty, leaking wells that litter this rugged landscape. Merely locating orphan wells can be arduous, and plugging them is tedious, time-consuming and expensive. According to the analysis, Ohio had the highest number of orphan wells on its books, at more than 20,000, followed closely by Pennsylvania. “This is all doable,” he said, adding that sensible regulation and enforcement can prevent many active wells from becoming the “next generation” of orphan wells.

Source: Washington Post April 11, 2023 21:54 UTC