** Congress considers federal help for abandoned wells
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Tuesday, June 2, 2020
As fossil fuel companies go bankrupt in the wake of COVID-19, thousands of oil and gas wells strewn across the landscape may be abandoned | Wyoming Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

Fossil fuel companies may go bankrupt as market forces and the COVID-19 pandemic tank the industry; these companies are likely to leave behind thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells strewn across the Western landscape. Yesterday, members of the House Natural Resources Committee discussed the creation of a federal clean-up program ([link removed]) that could be part of COVID-recovery actions.

The potential program would employ struggling oil workers to plug orphan wells that leak methane and other air and water pollutants ([link removed]) . There are currently 56,000 known abandoned oil and gas wells in the United States, and a national oil and gas well plugging program could create 13,000 high-paying jobs.

New Mexico senators and representatives summed up the situation, writing ([link removed]) , "With recent declines in revenue, hardworking New Mexican oil and gas workers have lost their livelihoods. At the same time, old, decaying wells and environmental damage threaten communities across the country."

However, many have pointed out that any federal clean-up program needs to be paired with adequate well bonding ([link removed]) (financial assurances from companies). Current well bonding requirements are inadequate to cover clean-up costs ([link removed]) , often landing taxpayers with the bill.


** Lands package momentum builds
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Congress is set to begin debate as soon as this week ([link removed]) on a landmark bipartisan public lands package. The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) would fully fund the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), while also creating a trust fund to reduce the extensive deferred maintenance backlog on public lands. Recent economic analysis shows that every $1 million invested in LWCF could support up to 30 jobs ([link removed]) , making the package an excellent pandemic recovery investment in addition to a major conservation effort.
Quick hits


** Editorial: Trump sells our land for a song: ‘This land was made for private oil drilling’
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Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])


** States and national parks face elevated fire risk, place restrictions while COVID creates complications
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Crosscut ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Carson Now ([link removed]) | KQEN ([link removed]) | Ripon Advance ([link removed]) | St. George News ([link removed])


** National park system reopening: what to know
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USA Today ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | KBZK ([link removed]) | Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | USA Today ([link removed])


** Lands package momentum builds as communities call for COVID-recovery lands funding
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed]) [Opinion] ([link removed]) | Steamboat Pilot & Today ([link removed])


** Budget reliance on oil and gas during bust could lead to cut programs
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])


** Groups seek to halt Nevada oil drilling in sage grouse habitat
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Congress considers federal help for abandoned wells, but financial health demands adequate well bonds
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Bloomberg ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | C ([link removed]) asper Star-Tribune ([link removed]) [Opinion] ([link removed]) | Williston Herald
([link removed])


** Revisiting the Malheur occupation: No Man’s Land documentary brings up public lands issues
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The Utah Review ([link removed])
Quote of the day

Things got even better for big oil when the administration gave companies a break on royalty payments on existing wells... The public, on the other hand, took it squarely in the shorts."
—Las Vegas Sun ([link removed]) Editorial Board
Picture this


** @N ([link removed]) OAAResearch ([link removed])
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Happy #OceanMonth2020 ([link removed]) ! From regulating our climate to helping produce the air we breathe, the #ocean ([link removed]) provides huge benefits to life on Earth. This month, we'll be highlighting some of the critical work NOAA scientists are doing to understand the ocean and how it is changing.

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