Millions of Orphan Oil Wells Are a Ticking Timebomb for the U.S.

Oil and Gas (O&G) activity in the U.S has had exponential growth in recent years. With the advent of more efficient extraction techniques such as fracking, the O&G industry has seen one of the largest production and export growth in the global O&G landscape. This growth, while relatively recent, is preceded by a period of U.S. O&G production that stretches back to the 80s. This frenetic activity in O&G extraction has left thousands of oil wells abandoned across the United States. Two types of disused oil wells can be distinguished.…