GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - As soon as the weather permits, the state will start plugging more than 1,200 orphan wells in Wyoming.
The goal is to plug 300 wells a year.
A handful of coal-bed methane operators who either went bankrupt or left the state have left behind open well bores, unwanted reservoirs, deteriorating power lines, roads and fiberglass equipment huts.
Taking care of those now falls to the state on lands across the Powder River Basin. Most of the wells are in Campbell County.
The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is responsible for plugging the wells.
Project manager Robert King tells the Gillette News-Record (https://bit.ly/1jGkhF3 ) that landowners who have an orphan well on their property can help the commission by checking its maps and letting someone know if they are incorrect or incomplete.
___
Information from: The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record, https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.