Stop DOI Rule Changes Allowing More Oil & Gas Wells Uncapped and Polluting

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the recently proposed Department of the Interior (DOI) rule changes that would reduce costs and weaken requirements for fossil fuel companies operating on federal lands. These proposals would shift cleanup burdens to the public and allow more methane pollution—damaging our health, our climate, and the integrity of federal oversight. First, the DOI proposal to drastically lower the bonds companies must pay before drilling would predictably increase the abandoned-well crisis and the costs that follow. When operators go bankrupt or walk away, wells can be left uncapped or inadequately secured. These “orphaned” wells can leak methane and other harmful substances, contaminate nearby groundwater, and impose long-term burdens on surrounding communities. Lower bonds mean less financial assurance when things go wrong, and that gap inevitably becomes a taxpayer cleanup problem. I want to emphasize that efforts like the Well Done Foundation’s work to plug abandoned wells are meaningful and commendable. They help demonstrate what effective field action looks like and they save time and resources where targeted plugging is needed. But even with excellent nonprofit support, the scale of the orphaned well problem is simply too large to rely on charitable endeavors alone. The number of wells that require plugging is not occasional—it is ongoing and widespread—and emergency cleanup by well-intentioned organizations cannot substitute for enforceable financial responsibility from the companies that create the risks in the first place. Bonding is the mechanism that makes sure funding is available at the start, not years later when the operator is gone. Second, the proposed removal of required methane abatement plans in drilling permit applications would make it harder to prevent methane leaks at the point where regulators can require controls. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with a major near-term warming impact, and permitting should require clear, specific plans to minimize emissions rather than allowing weaker disclosure and planning. I ask you to support legislation that requires oil and gas companies to seal abandoned wells and provide enforceable bonding sufficient to cover long-term remediation. I also urge you to require fossil fuel companies to detail methane abatement plans in their drilling applications, so that methane pollution is prevented—not merely addressed after it escapes.