PENNSYLVANIA COULD GET $100M IN FEDERAL MONEY TO PLUG LEAKY, OLD GAS WELLS
Pennsylvania is set to get an influx of federal infrastructure money to plug abandoned oil and gas wells.
The commonwealth is eligible for $104 million from the new program in its first phase, more than any other state except Texas.
The Department of Environmental Protection estimates 1,389 wells could be plugged with the money.
Pennsylvania has a lot of orphan and abandoned wells, due to its long history with the oil and gas industry. In a notice to the federal government, DEP said there are nearly 27,000 abandoned wells on state and private property. But it estimates there are more than 200,000 statewide. DEP estimates it will cost $1.8 billion to plug the 27,000 known wells.
The state has been spending about $1 million dollars annually to plug wells in recent years, focusing on the most difficult cases.
By Rachel McDevitt, The Allegheny Front