New federal office to tackle Louisiana’s ‘orphan’ oil well problem

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The federal government is establishing an office dedicated to cleaning up abandoned oil and gas sites, a move that Louisiana officials say will likely speed the process of tackling the state’s growing “orphan” well problem, reports KTBS News.

The U.S. Interior Department announced last week that the new Orphan Wells Program Office would ensure the “effective, accountable and efficient” spending of $4.7 billion the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act aims to pour into the plugging of abandoned wells.

“We are making a historic investment to tackle legacy pollution — the largest in American history,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said while announcing the new office. Read the entire story.