Texas faces growing challenge in plugging abandoned oil wells

Despite receiving federal funds, Texas struggles to keep up with an increasing number of abandoned oil wells; threatening land, water and human health.

James Osborne reports for The Houston Chronicle.

In short:

The Texas Railroad Commission's list of wells to be plugged has grown to nearly 8,200, up 3% since August 2022.
Texas plugged 19,000 wells from 2005 to 2022, but the list of orphan wells increased by 21,000 during the same period.
Federal funding has helped Texas plug 730 wells, the most in any state, but state funding for well plugging has declined.

Key quote:

“The responsibility should bear mostly on the industry, and maybe the rules do need to change. That’s going to be tough in the current political environment. The oil and gas industry is an important part of the economy.”

— Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, chair of House appropriations subcommittee

Visit EHN's energy section for more top news about energy, climate and health.

www.ehn.org

Texas faces growing challenge in plugging abandoned oil wells

Hotter than ever: Hawaiʻi preps kūpuna for extreme heat

As flooding increases and federal aid shrinks, Vermont is not prepared to manage disaster recovery

As the sea swallows a Nigerian community, migratory bird habitat disappears

Trump says he's ending restrictions on methane emissions from oil drilling

Stratos Project’s emissions could cause up to 45 premature deaths, illnesses each year

New satellites see thousands of methane leaks. Governments shrug

Trump’s cuts have exposed US to ‘cascade’ of El Niño dangers, experts warn

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.