1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across the country pose a serious threat to our groundwater. These wells, which companies profited from and then left behind, remain unsealed or improperly abandoned, creating pathways for contaminants to reach the water sources that communities depend on. The scale of this problem demands immediate congressional action. Oil companies extracted resources and generated revenue from these wells, yet they walked away without completing proper closure procedures. Now taxpayers and local communities bear the environmental and health consequences while these corporations face no accountability for the contamination risks they created. Abandoned wells leak methane, brine, and other pollutants directly into aquifers that supply drinking water to homes, schools, and farms. In Oklahoma and other oil-producing states, residents have watched their water quality deteriorate as legacy wells continue to discharge waste into underground water systems. This is not a theoretical risk but an ongoing public health crisis affecting real families who cannot simply choose a different water source. I urge you to support legislation that requires oil and gas companies to properly seal all abandoned wells and remediate contaminated sites. Companies that profited from these operations must fund the cleanup, not taxpayers. The legislation should establish strict timelines for well closure, impose significant penalties for non-compliance, and create a federal tracking system to identify and prioritize the most dangerous abandoned wells. Our communities deserve clean water, and the companies responsible for this contamination must be held accountable. Please take immediate action to protect groundwater from oilfield waste by requiring comprehensive cleanup of abandoned wells across the country.