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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
These can spill out methane and other pollutants.
Sources
Sources
While some oil deposits can leak naturally from geological pressure pushing the oil up to the surface, the fossil fuel industries are the primary cause of these pollution sites.
Impacts of Oil & Gas Wells
Impacts of Oil & Gas Wells
Air Pollution
Air Pollution
Global Warming & Climate Change
Global Warming & Climate Change
Water Security & Water Pollution
Water Security & Water Pollution
Since water security, energy use, and energy production are deeply intertwined, it is more important than ever to reduce both our water use and energy use, in order to protect our water from unnecessary waste and pollution.
Tools & Guides
Tools & Guides
Global Methane Budget an interactive infographic. Scroll to bottom and click "Launch visualization" button.
En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator "is a fast, powerful climate solutions scenario tool for understanding how we can achieve our climate goals through changes in energy, land use, consumption, agriculture, and other policies. The simulator focuses on how changes in global GDP, energy efficiency, technological innovation, and carbon price influence carbon emissions, global temperature, and other factors. It is designed to provide a synthesis of the best available science on climate solutions and put it at the fingertips of groups in policy workshops and roleplaying games. These experiences enable people to explore the long-term climate impacts of global policy and investment decisions.
En-ROADS is being developed by Climate Interactive, Ventana Systems, UML Climate Change Initiative, and MIT Sloan.
This guide provides background on the dynamics of En-ROADS, tips for using the simulator, general descriptions, real-world examples, slider settings, and model structure notes for the different sliders in En-ROADS."Methane Flaring Toolkit "guides the user through the options and decisions enabling operators to meet and exceed existing regulatory requirements. The toolkit documents the different technologies that address methane measurement from flaring and supports them through each of the key questions they need to consider when assessing methane from flaring. These include how to measure flare volumes and compositions accurately, identifying when a flare has a problem, and the various tools and techniques available for measuring combustion and destruction efficiency. Filters allow operators to short-list those technologies pertinent to their individual circumstances. Case studies, drawn from industry and academia showcase how technologies have been used and the impact that they can deliver."
Wellbore Plugging and Abandonment Practices (PDF) "This document provides guidance for the design, placement, and verification of cement plugs in wells that are to be temporarily or permanently abandoned. Wells that are temporarily abandoned have intent to re-enter in the future. The placement of barriers vary depending on whether the well is to be temporarily or permanently abandoned. The information in this document is general in nature. Wellbore plugging and abandonment practices will vary with regulation, well type, and purpose. Sound engineering and operational practices should be applied to each plugging operation. Plug lengths are not considered in this document. Local regulations must be considered in the design as they may dictate the length of cement to be placed below or above specific intervals, or both."
North America
North America
Portal Energético para América Latina "GEM’s Latin America Energy Portal offers a region-wide perspective on energy infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, through interactive maps and thousands of wiki pages. The Portal synthesizes GEM’s research on nearly 5,000 projects throughout the region, including coal- and gas-fired power plants, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas extraction sites, LNG terminals, solar farms, wind farms, coal terminals, coal mines and steel plants that meet a predetermined size threshold. Additional resources include country energy profiles, statistical data, reports, and links to organizations working towards a sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. ...
To learn about the various components of each GEM tracker, read About GEM’s Trackers. To receive notifications on this project, please sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions about this project, please contact the Project Manager, Gregor Clark."
USA
USA
California
Well Finder "The Geologic Energy Management Division's (CalGEM) online mapping application Well Finder presents California’s oil and gas industry information from the geographic perspective. You can find and locate oil and gas wells and other types of related facilities throughout the state."
Pennsylvania
Texas
Eliminating Orphan Wells and Sites in Texas (PDF) "A Toolkit for Redesigning the Railroad Commission’s Oil and Gas Well Plugging and Cleanup Programs."
South America
South America
Portal Energético para América Latina "GEM’s Latin America Energy Portal offers a region-wide perspective on energy infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, through interactive maps and thousands of wiki pages. The Portal synthesizes GEM’s research on nearly 5,000 projects throughout the region, including coal- and gas-fired power plants, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas extraction sites, LNG terminals, solar farms, wind farms, coal terminals, coal mines and steel plants that meet a predetermined size threshold. Additional resources include country energy profiles, statistical data, reports, and links to organizations working towards a sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. ...
To learn about the various components of each GEM tracker, read About GEM’s Trackers. To receive notifications on this project, please sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions about this project, please contact the Project Manager, Gregor Clark."
Organizations & Programs
Organizations & Programs
The following are currently working to reduce methane emissions.
International
International
Climate Defenders "is a multigenerational and multiracial action home rising up against the oil industry destroying our planet and our communities.
For generations, oil CEOs and the bank executives that finance them have prioritized profits over the well-being of our planet and its people. They pollute our air, poison our water, and dump toxins into our neighborhoods.
As Climate Defenders, we are fighting to end the fossil fuel industry and build a new future with good jobs, clean water, safe air, and a better future for our families. Join us!"
Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) "Flaring is a direct source of methane emissions as flares do not completely combust all the hydrocarbons in the gas they burn (View our flaring explained guide). However, how much flaring contributes to methane emissions is poorly understood."
North America
North America
Canada
Canada
The Orphan Well Association "is an industry-funded collaboration among the Alberta Government, provincial regulators and oil and gas producers to work toward a common goal: protecting public safety and managing the environmental risks of oil and gas properties that do not have a legally or financially responsible party that can be held accountable. These properties are known as “orphans.” The mandate of the OWA is to safely and efficiently decommission orphan oil and gas wells, pipelines, production facilities and restore the land as close to its original state as possible."
Alberta
Alberta Energy Regulator: Orphan Energy Sites "Wells, pipelines, and facilities are plugged and decommissioned (“abandoned”) when companies decide to stop using them for oil and gas development. In Alberta, companies are responsible for cleaning up their sites when the sites have reached the end of their productive life and returning the land to a natural state (known as “reclamation”). Doing this job properly is often costly.
If a company goes bankrupt before properly decommissioning its wells, facilities, or pipelines, and reclaiming the associated sites, we take action. We will order anyone who owned a part of the site—known as a “working interest participant”—to carry out this work to properly close the project."
British Columbia
Orphan Site Reclamation Fund (OSRF) after designating an orphan well the OSFR can be used "to decommission and clean up the site. This provides assurance the site will be restored in accordance with current standards and requirements, and all known contamination risks or hazards have been addressed."
Ontario
Abandoned Works Program "How to get an abandoned oil or gas well on your property safely plugged."
USA
USA
BLM is leading the Federal Orphaned Well Program "to remediate orphaned wells on Federal Lands. This multi-agency effort includes DOI Land Management Agencies, the U.S. Forest Service (USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Interstate Oil & Gas Commission Compact. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) historic investments will help revitalize local economies and support jobs, while addressing environmental impacts from legacy developments.
The Clean Energy States Alliance "is a national, nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy.
CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop clean energy programs and inclusive renewable energy markets. CESA members—mostly state agencies—include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country."Clean Water Action "is working to protect people and communities from oil and gas production's harmful environmental and health impacts while pushing for the transition to a clean energy economy."
Indian Affairs: Orphaned Wells on Tribal Lands "The Indian Energy Service Center coordinates funding and program activities for Tribal orphaned wells that are provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act."
Stop the Money Pipeline "We are a coalition of 230+ organizations working to hold the financial sector accountable for its role in fueling climate chaos and environmental racism.
Join us to help end financing for fossil fuels."Tradewater "is taking on this problem by finding orphaned oil and gas wells, quantifying the methane that is leaking and has the potential to leak, and then plugging the wells to permanently prevent methane release to the atmosphere. Orphaned wells are defined as being unplugged, inactive and have no solvent owner of record.
Tradewater conducts field tests to confirm methane releases and then coordinates with landowners and agencies to plan plugging activities. Tradewater hires qualified local contractors to remove surface equipment, plug wells per state regulations, and remediate the land, permanently stopping current and future methane leaks."
California
California Department of Conservation: Idle Well Program "In California, an idle well is a well that has not been used for two years or more and has not yet been properly plugged and abandoned (sealed and closed). Plugging and abandonment involves permanently sealing the well with a cement plug to isolate the hydrocarbon-bearing formation from water sources and prevent leakage to the surface. If a well is not properly sealed and closed, it may provide a pathway for hydrocarbons or other contaminants to migrate into drinking water or to the surface. Improved reporting shows there are approximately 35,000 wells in California categorized as idle."
CalGEM Oil and Gas Well Plug and Abandonment Public Works Contracts
Kansas
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
Michigan
Michigan Orphan Well Program "If you are a landowner, there is no cost to you for the resulting plugging and site restoration. The Orphan Well Fund is supported solely by industry."
New Mexico
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
New York
The New York Works Well Plugging Initiative (NYWWPI) "began in mid-2013, following approval of the state's budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The initial allocation of $2M for well plugging was established as part of a $40M DEC-wide funding of infrastructure improvements (NYW Infrastructure 2 Fund). These funds created a significant opportunity to address the state's unplugged orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells, most of which were drilled prior to the existence of the state's oil and gas regulatory program. Additional NYWWPI funding has been provided to the DEC through subsequent state budgetary allocations. The DEC has successfully completed 25 plugging projects totaling 366 wells under the NYWWPI."
North Dakota
North Dakota Mineral Resources: Oil & Gas Division: Well Plugging "North Dakota has 11,224 plugged wells. These were plugged either due to age, economics, maintenance, environmental and safety risks, or many other factors."
Ohio
The Orphan Well Program "was established in 1977 to plug abandoned oil and natural gas wells. Ohio’s program is recognized as one of the most well-funded and organized in the nation." Use the links on this page to report orphan wells or request a well plugging on your land.
Oklahoma
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
Pennsylvania
DEP’s Well Plugging Program "was established to plug oil and gas wells where there is no identifiable responsible party. Since the Well Plugging Program began, DEP has documented over 25,000 abandoned wells and plugged more than 3,000 wells. Plugging priority is determined through site investigations that assign a numeric score based on the abandoned well’s risk. Risks associated with abandoned wells that are considered in the prioritization process include oil leakage into water resources, health and safety issues like methane migrating into homes and private water wells, and fugitive methane emissions being released into the atmosphere. Higher risk wells are plugged before lower risk wells." Department of Environmental Protection: Contacts and Directions Oil and Gas Office Locations
Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Program (OAWP) "Act 13 of 2012 establishes the Marcellus Legacy Fund and allocates funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for funding orphan or abandoned well plugging projects using the Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Program (OAWP). Pennsylvania has hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells drilled since 1859. This program provides a mechanism to plug abandoned and orphaned wells that have the potential to cause health, safety or environmental concerns."
Texas
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
Commission Shift "a watchdog group pushing for reforms to the Texas oil and gas industry oversight."
RRC: State Managed Well Plugging "Although most oil and gas wells that are no longer productive are plugged by the responsible operators, the Railroad Commission administers a program to plug abandoned oil and gas wells."
Oceana
Oceana
Australia
Australia
Lock the Gate "We’re a grassroots movement fighting destructive coal and gas right across Australia. And growing the momentum for sustainable regional communities."
Grants & Funding
Grants & Funding
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