Wyoming May Act to Plug Abandoned Wells as Natural Gas Boom Ends
Tim Kupsick/Casper Star-Tribune
A well site in Campbell
County, Wyo., in 2009. More than 1,200 drilling operations have been
abandoned in the state, with more casualties expected.
By DAN FROSCH
Published: December 24, 2013
DENVER — Hundreds of abandoned drilling wells dot eastern Wyoming like
sagebrush, vestiges of a natural gas boom that has been drying up in
recent years as prices have plummeted.
The companies that once operated the wells have all but vanished into
the prairie, many seeking bankruptcy protection and unable to pay the
cost of reclaiming the land they leased. Recent estimates have put the
number of abandoned drilling operations in Wyoming at more than 1,200,
and state officials said several thousand more might soon be orphaned by
their operators.
Wyoming officials are now trying to address the problem amid concerns
from landowners that the wells could contaminate groundwater and are a
blight on the land.
This month, Gov. Matt Mead proposed allocating $3 million to pay for
plugging the wells and reclaiming the land around them. And the issue is
expected to be debated during next year’s legislative session as
lawmakers seek to hold drilling companies more accountable.
“The downturn in natural gas prices has forced small operators out of
business, and the problem has really accelerated over the last couple of
years,” said the governor’s policy director, Shawn Reese. “Landowners
would like their land to be brought back to a productive status and have
orphaned wells cleaned up.”Read More...http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/us/state-may-act-to-plug-abandoned-wyoming-wells-as-natural-gas-boom-ends.html
