National News

Number of orphaned wells predicted to grow

There are already tens of thousands of “orphaned” wells spread across U.S. oil-producing states, left abandoned by failed companies that did not have the cash to plug them before walking away. Now, the oil crash that is threatening to trigger a spate of bankruptcies could make that problem worse, sticking states with the bill to seal up the new orphan wells that pose pollution risks, Pro’s Zack Colman reports this...

Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990 – 2018

An emissions inventory that identifies and quantifies a country's anthropogenic1 sources and sinks of greenhouse gases is essential for addressing climate change. This inventory adheres to both (1) a comprehensive and detailed set of methodologies for estimating sources and sinks of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, and (2) a common and consistent format that enables Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to compare the relative contribution of...

Inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks 1990-2016: Abandoned oil and gas wells

EPA identified and reviewed available emissions data to characterize emissions from abandoned wells, including data from the Kang et al. and Townsend-Small et al. studies. The Kang et al. 2014 study made direct measurements of methane flow rates from 19 wells in Pennsylvania during 2013 and 2014. The wells were not well-documented in state records, so researchers categorized each studied well as plugged or unplugged based on surface observations. The study...