Clean Up Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you to act on pollution from orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells. This environmental justice problem impacts millions of people in the US. There are more than 56,000 documented orphaned oil and gas wells across the country. These wells are no longer in use and sit idle in our communities, leaking oil, gas, and toxic chemicals into our air and water. They can also emit methane, a powerful contributor to climate change. As a parent, I’m urging you to support legislation that provides the needed funding to start addressing this critical issue. For far too long, children who live, learn, or play near orphan wells have been disproportionately impacted by methane and other harmful pollution that puts their health and safety at risk. Plugging orphaned and abandoned wells will create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in rural communities while helping to clean up pollution and protect the climate and public health. But current orphan well plugging programs have pennies on the dollar to do this work. Congress must make meaningful investments in ambitious climate change solutions, including funding to plug orphan wells and protect the health and safety of nearby communities.