FUEL FIX
Texas seeks funding from feds to clean up abandoned wells
By James Osborne STAFF WRITER
Deserted drilling wells are the relics of every oil and gas bust, and Texas is pitted with more than any other place in the country.
WASHINGTON — Texas is among 26 states seeking a piece of $4.7 billion in federal funding to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells.
The Interior Department announced Wednesday that funding toward addressing an estimated 130,000 orphaned wells around the United States would be decided in the weeks ahead.
“The Interior Department is committed to helping working families, often in rural and Tribal communities, who face hazardous pollution, toxic water levels, and land subsidence both during and long after energy companies have moved on,” the agency said in a statement.
It is typically the job of oil and gas companies to plug and clean up old wells, but whether due to financial difficulty or malfeasance, many wells are simply abandoned after they run out of meaningful production. The resulting pollution poses a public health risk to surrounding communities.
The funding stems from legislation introduced this summer by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D- Houston, which was included in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Congress passed in November. The legislation allows states to use the money not only to plug old wells but to clean up any contamination of surrounding lands.
“Orphaned wells can harm our environment and create public health risks for neighboring communities,” Fletcher said in June. “The legislation will also create jobs for oil field workers in Texas and across the country, which is especially important now, after the downturn brought on by COVID-19.”
Other states applying for funding include Alaska, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. james.oborne@chron.com