U.S. Millions of Derelict Oil Wells, Operators Abandon
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- U.S. has millions of derelict oil and gas wells that remain unplugged.
- Abandoning wells is used by some operators as a deliberate technique to pad marginal returns.
- OKMULGEE, Oklahoma is cited as a location where the problem is being spotlighted.
Why it matters: Public funds must cover the cost of plugging the millions of abandoned wells that operators have left behind, while regulators grapple with the environmental and safety risks of the neglected sites.
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