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Abandoned oil wells are leaking greenhouse gases. Taxpayers are on the hook to clean them up

Published March 5, 2024 at 8:40 AM EST
An oil well worker moves equipment at a site on the Rooke family ranch where an orphaned well was plugged. (Eric Gay/AP)
An oil well worker moves equipment at a site on the Rooke family ranch where an orphaned well was plugged. (Eric Gay/AP)

Planet-warming methane is seeping out of old oil and gas wells nationwide. State and federal authorities have set aside billions of dollars to plug those leaks, but that money will cover just 2% of the total cost.

That’s according to a new investigation by ProPublica, which Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd discusses with reporter Mark Olalde.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.