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Today, lawmakers are introducing a Senate bill that would authorize $4.6 billion for federal cleanup of tens of thousands of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the country. Such wells pose an environmental hazard, and cleanup would help provide jobs.
There is broad recognition of the need for orphaned well cleanup, especially following the collapse of the oil and gas industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. As companies go bankrupt, taxpayers are often left with the reclamation bill.
The bipartisan bill comes on the heels of Biden's proposed infrastructure package and fiscal year 2022 budget proposal, which include $16 billion and $450 million for well cleanup work respectively. The proposal is similar to House legislation introduced in the House last week.
However, the bill does not address the root of the problem: inadequate bonding requirements. As a result, such a solution would be short term. In order to resolve the issue in the long term, bonding reform needs to come in tandem with well cleanup.
No time to waste in restoring our national monuments
On his first day as president, Joe Biden directed the Interior Department to evaluate whether his administration should reverse or modify President Trump’s egregious decision to dramatically shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. Last week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited southern Utah to hear from local communities, Native American tribes, and elected officials as she prepares recommendations for President Biden.
After her trip, it is clear there is strong support for restoring protections for both national monuments and that failing to act quickly will leave these landscapes vulnerable to looting, vandalism, and the pressures of increased visitation without sufficient management tools.
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You can’t just pick up these sacred trees and move them. These are areas that are filled with unique significance to Native American tribes. It’s not transferrable. It’s not fungible. You can’t go build another place like Oak Flat.”
