The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated the US is home to approximately 3.4 million old, unused wells. That’s an estimate. Many of these old wells are undocumented or otherwise unknown. Of the 3.4 million estimated by the EPA, only 117,672 are in the US Geological Survey’s data set of documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas wells.
The problem becomes even more muddled by shifting definitions of “idle,” “abandoned,” and “orphan” wells. Different jurisdictions use different definitions, but the core meanings are the same.
Idle wells are those that are not producing hydrocarbons but have not been plugged.
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