Hundreds of thousands of abandoned gas and oil wells throughout the country present an ongoing potential pollution threat, as well as a source of climate-warming methane emissions. A unique proposal to plug those abandoned wells deserves funding from state and federal governments.

The plan would use employees of struggling oil and gas companies — many of which are teetering on financial insolvency because of low oil prices — to begin the task of identifying and plugging those abandoned wells.

The sheer number of wells is staggering: States have identified more than 55,000 abandoned wells nationwide, but estimates of existing but unidentified wells push that number to 750,000. In Pennsylvania, the state has 8,500 verified orphan and abandoned wells and an estimated 200,000 that have not been identified.

Those abandoned wells, left behind during past waves of drilling activity, can create an explosion hazard from oil and gas leaking into water, soil and sometimes nearby homes. They are also a significant source of methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas.

The proposal not only would benefit the struggling oil and gas industry, which currently has thousands of workers sitting idle, but also would have long-lasting environmental advantages. In a rare show of crossover support, the plan has been endorsed by state energy regulators, industry trade groups, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Earthworks.

The key, as always, is funding — and such a huge endeavor won’t be cheap. Canada, for instance, has committed $1.7 billion (in Canadian dollars) to plugging abandoned wells and assisting the struggling oil industry. In Alberta alone, the program is expected to maintain 5,200 jobs.

The Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, estimated that a nationwide well cleanup fund of $2 billion could support 14,000 to 24,000 jobs.

With Congress considering another economic stimulus bill in the coming weeks, this would be the time for Pennsylvania’s delegation to campaign for funding for an abandoned well program. Such a plan would preserve or create jobs while also making a huge environmental impact. It would be money well spent.

First Published: May 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m.