Abandoned Wells Often Not Obvious

Princeton University Study: Up to 900,000 Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Pollute Pennsylvania’s Air

From an Article by Brandon Baker, EcoWatch.com, June 19, 2014

Pennsylvania already has a fracking problem groups struggle to inspire politicians to address. Now, a Princeton University study shows that hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil wells are adding to the state’s pollution.

CO2, Methane, and Brine Leakage through Subsurface Pathways: Exploring Modeling, Measurement and Policy Options is a first-of-its-kind study from Mary Kang that describes how abandoned oil wells serve as leakage pathways for carbon dioxide, methane, brine and more.

Based on records, Kang estimates that between 280,000 and 970,000 abandoned wells account for 4 to 13 percent of the PA state’s methane emissions.

Three of the 19 wells measured by the team are considered high emitters. Leakage was found in both plugged and unplugged wells.

“Existing well abandonment regulations in Pennsylvania do not appear to be effective in controlling methane emissions from AOG [abandoned oil and gas] wells,” Kang writes in her abstract.

“As a mitigation strategy, inclusion of gases emitted from AOG wells in Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard may be valuable for both promoting capture and possible use of the gas as well as for reporting and monitoring of these wells.”

[P.S.  There are over 50,000 wells in West Virginia, a number well beyond the capability of the WV-DEP to inspect, monitor, or regulate in an environmentally satisfactory manner. The WV Legislature has been unable to improve the State law for oil and gas wells because of the strong industry lobby and lack of leadership from the Governor.  Federal regulations have similarly been constrained by the strong industry lobby and existing loopholes.  Concerned citizens must speak up and be heard in Charleston, Harrisburg, and in Washington, DC.]

A “Gas Well Study” report for 2011 has been prepared by George Monk and Molly Shaffnit for Kanawha and Putnam Counties in WV. Examined were surface owner issues and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s responses to problems and complaints.

The last paragraph, in the Conclusions section, is worthy of consideration:

Violations are rare in West Virginia according to the DEP. That’s wishful thinking. The state abandons citizens whose domestic water supplies are compromised by improperly cased and cemented wells. Families have to buy drinking water, pay for medical expenses (the family near 47-039-06155 is receiving treatment for heavy metal poisoning), and are sometimes forced to leave their homes because of catastrophic health consequences  brought about due to drillers’ activities.

The opportunity exists for volunteers in each county of West Virginia to organize an effort to monitor the existing permit applications, active drilling operations, completed new gas wells as well as the thousands of legacy wells throughout the State.  It was reported today by Randy Huffman, Cabinet Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, that State-wide in 2010, 23 % of the natural gas came from 517 wells while the remaining 77 % of the produced natural gas came from some 60,000 other gas wells in West Virginia.  This is a staggering figure, to realize that we have of the order of 60,000 wells active (or inactive but still unplugged) spread throughout our 55 counties.

The “Gas Well Report” by Monk and Shaffnit is available for download at:

 http://members.citynet.net/sootypaws/gws/documents/2011gws.pdf

Additional photographs of the well sites that were visited last year in Kanawha & Putnam Counties are at the following web-site:

http://members.citynet.net/sootypaws/Woods/gaswell/comments/otherwells/2012/index.html

Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has reacted to the press conference today at which Delegates Mike Manypenny (D-Taylor) and Barbara Fleischauer (D-Monongalia) presented a letter signed by 19 WV delegates calling for a cessation on issuing new drilling permits.  Tomblin is opposed to any moratorium.  He reasserted his faith that the WVDEP can adequately deal with the impacts of the shale gas industry.  “The (West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection) is ready to implement emergency environmental laws — drilling laws and so forth — to address that problem,” he said “And I think it would be a mistake to do any sort of moratorium at this time.”
Full story here.

Tomblin has requested that the WVDEP receive an additional $2 million in funding in this budget cycle to hire more inspectors.  According to Pam Nixon, WVDEP Environmental Advocate, that would allow hiring 8-10 more inspectors.  Currently there are 13 inspectors and 4 unfilled positions.   In case you haven’t heard yet, the Oil and Gas Division is already responsible for oversight of 55,000 conventional gas wells in West Virginia, 6,000 or so unplugged wells, 13,ooo orphaned wells, and the 900-3000 per year permitted horizontal wells. How many wells must each inspector cover?  Do the math.

What kind of power does WVDEP have to implement new protections?  Can it require setbacks of gas wells of more than 200′ from homes, drinking water supply wells and waterways?  Can it require that pit liners be removed and hauled to toxic waste facilities rather than being buried on site which has a very good chance of leading to contamination of ground water?   Can it require accountability for disposal of wastewater so that the chances of another criminal assault to the environment and safe drinking water such as occurred in the Allan’s Waste Water Services case will be minimized?   We’ll be seeking those answers, but not with a great deal of optimism.