Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned wells

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press

AP IMPACT: Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned wells

By JEFF DONN and MITCH WEISS (AP) – 9 hours ago

More than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells lurk in the hard rock beneath the Gulf of Mexico, an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades. No one — not industry, not government — is checking to see if they are leaking, an Associated Press investigation shows.

The oldest of these wells were abandoned in the late 1940s, raising the prospect that many deteriorating sealing jobs are already failing.

The AP investigation uncovered particular concern with 3,500 of the neglected wells — those characterized in federal government records as "temporarily abandoned."

Regulations for temporarily abandoned wells require oil companies to present plans to reuse or permanently plug such wells within a year, but the AP found that the rule is routinely circumvented, and that more than 1,000 wells have lingered in that unfinished condition for more than a decade. About three-quarters of temporarily abandoned wells have been left in that status for more than a year, and many since the 1950s and 1960s — eveb though sealing procedures for temporary abandonment are not as stringent as those for permanent closures.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gz8SP1X8Y6bOR5kwCcuxUdV1XwLgD9GPVQ0G1

[MadMaddie]

1. Well if there are that many wells out there

this a perfect opportunity to create a "Work Program" to get Americans back to work. They could hire and train folks to inspect and recap the 27, 000 wells. Once done they could move across the country and do the same thing with abandoned mines and wells to ensure they are closed, protected and safe.

See that wasn't that hard to come up with a plan. This is what must happen in order to get folks back to work. They need to start thinking out of the box and out of all jobs must be IT related. Face it these are blue collar jobs and that's okay.

[w4rma]

2. Exactly. But, that would mean that wages might go up for everyone in America and

the greedy billionaires don't want that.

[izquierdista]

3. Just one thing

Imagine all the programs, projects, and plans that could be carried out if there was never a Bush tax cut and the top tax rate was still 70%.

[MadMaddie]

5. You are right!

It's amazing that the working class on the other side are unable to see the correlation.

[eallen]

4. Once permanently capped, a well doesn't need to be recapped

The 3,500 that haven't been permanently capped are a different matter.

And we definitely need an inspection regimen. Here's a related article:

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/06/two-more-gulf-spills

:hippie:

[superconnected]

6. Figures. The oil companies don't give a damn about the environment.

I hope the Obama administration will do something about this.