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293:. One benefit of this approach is that it is less expensive to retrofit an abandoned well to produce geothermal energy than it is to drill a new oil or gas well. It also saves the cost of exploring sites for geothermal fields. Avoiding new exploration and drilling avoids the environmental impacts of these activities. However, geothermal fluids can contain environmentally hazardous chemicals such as
272:
One problem with studying the impacts of orphaned and abandoned wells is that data about them can be scarce and incomplete. In the United States, it is possible for wells to have been orphaned or abandoned for over a century, and information about them, if it exists at all, can be difficult to find.
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and are held by an obligee (state or federal entity) until the well has been satisfactorily plugged and the land surface restored. A significant challenge of making well bonds an effective policy tool is to set their price to a point that does not make market entry prohibitively expensive, but also
320:
A third option is to mandate that well operators establish reclamation trusts which would be used to pay reclamation costs if the operator does not perform the necessary plugging and land restoration within a given time period after abandoning the well. This policy option has been used to mitigate
200:
legislation defines "idle and orphaned wells" based on whether or not a well bond has been forfeited or the money to plug it is unavailable. It defines a "temporary inactive well status" as not having produced for two (non-horizontal wells) or eight (horizontal wells) statutorily defined reporting
325:
in the United States as part of a combined command-and-control and market incentive policy response to environmental protection. One risk attached to this policy option is that if wells become economically unproductive before the period planned for in the trust agreement, the abandoned well could
257:. Furthermore, brine present in wells dug into shale formations can contain some radioactive and toxic substances that contaminate groundwater if the well leaks. Plugging wells can reduce the risk of explosions and protect groundwater, but does not always prevent
49:
is considered abandoned when it has been permanently taken out of production. Similarly, orphaned wells may have different legal definitions across different jurisdictions, but can be thought of as wells whose legal owner it is not possible to determine.
463:
225:
into the atmosphere or water supplies. Important determinants of how much orphaned and abandoned wells impact the environment include the techniques used and precautions taken when first drilling the well, whether it is a
184:' Natural Resource Code defines an "inactive well" as "an unplugged well that has had no reported production, disposal, injection, or other permitted activity for a period of greater than 12 months."
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investigation in 2021 highlighted how government estimates of abandoned wells in Texas and New Mexico were likely underestimated and that market forces might have reduced prices so much creating
265:, and planting local species, in addition to plugging the well itself. For example, plugging a well and restoring the surrounding land costs an average of $ 100,000 for wells in the
17:
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488:
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One way to encourage well owners not to abandon or orphan wells and to make sure wells are safely abandoned is to use well bonds. These are bonds paid by well operators to a
674:
Kang, Mary; Christian, Shanna; Celia, Michael A.; Mauzerall, Denise L.; Bill, Markus; Miller, Alana R.; Chen, Yuheng; Conrad, Mark E.; Darrah, Thomas H. (2016-11-29).
513:
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New York State is expecting to receive $ 70 million from the Act in 2022 which will be used to plug orphaned wells. The state has 6,809 orphaned wells, and the
374:
Mitchell, Austin L.; Casman, Elizabeth A. (2011-11-15). "Economic
Incentives and Regulatory Framework for Shale Gas Well Site Reclamation in Pennsylvania".
65:. For this reason, several state and federal programs have been initiated to plug wells; however, many of these programs are under capacity. In states like
261:. The costs to mitigate the impact of orphaned and abandoned wells varies, but may include removing all equipment from the site, restoring the land and
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State legislatures in the United States have specific definitions based on local needs and priorities. For example, the section on abandoned wells in
34:
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190:'s definition of abandoned well includes not producing for 12 months, "considered dry and not equipped for production within 60 days after
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does not incentivize well operators to forfeit the bond instead of undertaking the abandonment requirements specified in local law.
123:
119:
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194:, re-drilling or deepening, and from which the equipment needed to extract resources or produce energy has been removed."
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Once a well is abandoned, it can be a source of toxic emissions and pollution contaminating groundwater and releasing
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were also in short supply in
Pennsylvania and Ohio. Federally funded well plugging contracts are required to meet
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289:
Another way to encourage well owners not to abandon or orphan wells is to retrofit oil and gas wells to produce
790:"From an Oilfield to a Geothermal One: Use of a Selection Matrix to Choose Between Two Extraction Technologies"
333:, was founded in 2019 by a retired oil and gas industry executive to start plugging wells, one well at a time.
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reported a shortage of trained staff necessary to implement federally funded well capping programs. Qualified
87:, the 2.1 million unplugged abandoned wells in the United States could cost as much as $ 300 billion. A joint
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periods or one that has produced "less than 100,000 cubic feet of natural gas or 15 barrels of crude oil."
73:, these programs do not have enough funding or staff to fully evaluate and implement mitigation programs.
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If wells are not properly sealed when orphaned or abandoned, there can allow oil and gas to contaminate
169:
816:
Cao, Xia (2007-04-01). "Regulating mine land reclamation in developing countries: The case of China".
435:
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Abandoned wells can eventually leak leading to pollutants entering the atmosphere or the water supply.
489:"Plugging Abandoned Oil Wells Is One 'Green New Deal' Aspect Loved By Both Republicans And Democrats"
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estimates it will cost $ 248 million to plug them all. The NYSDEC uses a fleet of drones carrying
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policy in the United States have advocated for funding plugging programs that would address
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676:"Identification and characterization of high methane-emitting abandoned oil and gas wells"
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study estimated that there are as many as two to three million wells across the nation.
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464:"Bakken Restart is among energy priorities sandwiched in bipartisan infrastructure deal"
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Though different jurisdictions have varying criteria for what exactly qualifies as an
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245:. It is also possible for orphaned and abandoned wells to be significant emitters of
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pandemic relief funds for plugging and reclaiming abandoned and orphaned wells.
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conditions that would lead to more abandonment. Advocates of programs like the
514:"New York to receive $ 70M in federal grants to plug abandoned oil, gas wells"
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540:"Inside the rough-and-tumble race to clean up America's abandoned oil wells"
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Aldern, Clayton; Collins, Christopher; Sadasivam, Naveena (April 2021).
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has documented the existence of 130,000 orphaned wells nationwide. An
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746:"Geothermal energy production utilizing abandoned oil and gas wells"
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become a liability held by the relevant government authority.
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234:, or combined oil and gas well, and if and how the well was
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614:"Lawriter - ORC - 1509.062 Temporary inactive well status"
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639:
512:
Schoenbaum, Hannah; Miller, Isabel (February 10, 2022).
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Abandoned buildings and structures in the United States
845:"Capping methane-spewing oil wells, one hole at a time"
433:
744:
Bu, Xianbiao; Ma, Weibin; Li, Huashan (2012-05-01).
566:"NATURAL RESOURCES CODE CHAPTER 89. ABANDONED WELLS"
18:Orphaned and abandoned wells in the United States
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35:Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge
680:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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642:"Plugging the Gaps in Inactive Well Policy"
76:North Dakota dedicated $ 66 million of its
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217:Orphaned and abandoned wells can cause
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329:A Montana-based non-profit, the
85:Government Accountability Office
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343:Orphan wells in Alberta, Canada
788:Soldo, Elena (25 April 2015).
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144:In 2023, state governments in
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33:Abandoned gas well located in
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538:Peischel, Will (2023-09-28).
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323:environmental impact of mines
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462:Jean, Renée (2021-08-16).
170:local economic development
843:Ehli, Nick (2021-07-01).
105:climate change mitigation
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141:to find orphaned wells.
63:greenhouse gas emissions
701:10.1073/pnas.1605913113
436:"Waves of Abandonment"
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205:Environmental impacts
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331:Well Done Foundation
219:environmental damage
692:2016PNAS..11313636K
686:(48): 13636–13641.
388:2011EnST...45.9506M
124:Interior Department
518:www.timesunion.com
487:Marcacci, Silvio.
223:leaking pollutants
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93:The Texas Observer
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396:10.1021/es2021796
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243:groundwater
870:Categories
856:2021-09-15
802:2017-05-01
623:2017-05-01
599:2017-05-01
575:2017-05-01
551:2023-10-01
498:2021-04-06
473:2021-09-15
445:2021-04-06
349:References
255:atmosphere
154:California
71:New Mexico
881:Oil wells
770:109667569
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277:Responses
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232:oil well
228:gas well
192:drilling
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384:Bibcode
311:mercury
307:arsenic
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299:ammonia
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