The Forgotten Wells Beneath Our Water, Climate, and Clean Energy Future

Old oil and gas wells can sit quietly in farm fields, forests, neighborhoods, and under future energy projects. Some are forgotten, some are leaking, and many are close to the groundwater people drink. This episode matters because it connects a hidden piece of industrial history to everyday water safety, climate pollution, public spending, and the choices communities face as the United States moves toward cleaner energy.We unpack a national study of documented orphaned oil and gas wells: wells with no financially responsible owner. The paper asks where these wells are, who lives near them, what we know and do not know about water and air risks, and how plugging them could also reduce leakage risks for future underground storage of carbon dioxide or hydrogen. Along the way, we explain why groundwater monitoring is sparse, why methane is useful but incomplete as a risk signal, and why a $4.7 billion federal effort may still fall short.Full paper citation: Kang, Mary, Jade Boutot, Renee C. McVay, Katherine A. Roberts, Scott Jasechko, Debra Perrone, Tao Wen, Greg Lackey, Daniel Raimi, Dominic C. DiGiulio, Seth B. C. Shonkoff, J. William Carey, Elise G. Elliott, Donna J. Vorhees, and Adam S. Peltz. 2023. "Environmental risks and opportunities of orphaned oil and gas wells in the United States." Environmental Research Letters 18: 074012. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acdae7Disclosure: This Waterlines episode package is written for public science communication and is intended for production using AI-generated voices.