Orphaned oil wells can pose significant threats to people and the environment, and Arizona is among five states that have received federal funding to address the issue.
What's happening?
As explained by Arizona Mirror, the Department of the Interior allocated more than $126 million in funding "to address the environmental and safety hazards of orphaned oil and gas wells across the country."
In addition to Arizona receiving a chunk of the funds, Alaska, Indiana, New York, and Ohio were tabbed to have the wells in their states plugged.
Ohio led the way with over $57 million being received, while Alaska and New York received $25 million apiece. Indiana was given over $14 million, and Arizona received around $4.8 million. The funding is part of the ongoing effort from President Joe Biden's Investing in America agenda.
"Toxic orphaned oil and gas wells have plagued American communities for generations," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a written statement, per Arizona Mirror.
Why is this important?
Orphaned oil wells are abandoned oil and gas wells that no longer have an owner responsible for maintaining or plugging them. These wells often leak toxic chemicals and methane, which is a potent planet-warming gas that has a negative warming effect on the planet.
In Arizona alone, there are 245 orphaned oil and gas wells on state and private lands, according to the Interior Department.
Arizona Mirror noted that unplugged wells "pose a severe risk to people, the environment, ecosystems and the climate" because they "threaten the air and water due to contamination risk to surface and groundwater."
The Interior Department determined that the responsibility of plugging these wells falls on the state, federal, and tribal governments.
What's being done about this?
In recent years, there has been more of a commitment to addressing the issue of abandoned wells. Arizona Mirror noted that $565 million in initial grant funding from the Interior Department has been awarded to 25 states since 2022 "to help them begin inventorying, plugging, and cleaning up orphaned oil and gas wells."
Arizona received an initial grant of $25 million in 2022 and established its oil and gas wellness program, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The program works in conjunction with the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and private landowners "to locate, verify and plug orphaned oil and gas wells across the state," per Arizona Mirror.
The Interior Department reported that as of March, Ohio, Alaska, New York, Indiana, and Arizona had plugged more than 340 abandoned wells. These efforts not only mitigate pollution but also create thousands of good-paying jobs, demonstrating that environmental policies can have positive economic impacts.
"Millions of Americans live within a mile of an orphaned oil and gas well," Haaland said. "With this historic funding, we are empowering the states of Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, New York, and Ohio to begin to turn the tide on these environmental hazards that are harming our communities, lands, waters, and air."
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