Even Closed Oil Wells Are Still Spewing Methane Into The Air, Scientists Warn
29 APRIL 2021
The legacy of abandoned oil wells in the US isn t hard to see, even leaving gaping holes in the landscape that are frightening to look at. But their invisible aftermath is more alarming still.
Across the US and Canada, there are millions of abandoned or inactive oil and gas wells left behind by their former operators, and often improperly sealed. These stranded reserves – sometimes called orphan wells – may have been deserted by humans, but they are not a spent force.
Abandoned wells, hundreds of thousands of which are thought to be undocumented, are estimated to spew vast amounts of heat-trapping methane emissions into the atmosphere, far exceeding the projections of environmental authorities such as the US EPA.
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Credit: UC Geology
Uncapped, idle oil wells could be leaking millions of kilograms of methane each year into the atmosphere and surface water, according to a study by the University of Cincinnati.
Amy Townsend-Small, an associate professor of geology and geography in UC s College of Arts and Sciences, studied 37 wells on private property in the Permian Basin of Texas, the largest oil production region on Earth. She found that seven had methane emissions of as much as 132 grams per hour. The average rate was 6.2 grams per hour. Some of them were leaking a lot. Most of them were leaking a little or not at all, which is a pattern that we have seen across the oil and gas supply chain, Townsend-Small said. A few sources are responsible for most of the leaks.
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