Interior Department Approves $1B to Clean Up Abandoned Wells
The Department of Interior is spending $1.15 billion to cap abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States.
The Department of Interior is spending $1.15 billion to cap abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States.
There are over 3 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And Interior officials say that wells have been exposing millions of people to air and water pollution for decades.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Monday that the funding will help the country “confront the legacy pollution and long-standing environmental injustices that for too long have plagued underrepresented communities.” Much of the funding is focused on plugging wells in communities of color and in rural and tribal communities.