"Most of the proposals shared some common features: Federal Money → State Orphan Well/Federal Orphan Well Program → Private Contractor → “Plug and Abandonment” work. Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy and Resources for the Future crafted one of the best-cited orphan well grant program proposals. The proposal is particularly popular among oil and gas industry groups who have framed it as a way to keep oil and gas businesses afloat. It makes sense when you consider that the two think tanks’ respective funders’ circles are a veritable who’s who of oil and gas production and service firms and investment shops (from Aramco to Total)."
The Wreckage of the Last Energy Epoch: Abandoned Wells and Workers
Current Affairs magazine cites RFF & Columbia University's study on abandoned oil & gas wells, calling it one of the "best-cited" program proposals.
Media Highlight from Current Affairs — Jan. 12, 2021
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Report — Jul 20, 2020
Green Stimulus for Oil and Gas Workers: Considering a Major Federal Effort to Plug Orphaned and Abandoned Wells
This paper, a joint effort between Resources for the Future and the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, examines the potential to boost US employment in the oil and gas workforce while also reducing pollution through a federal program to plug orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells.
Common Resources — Jul 23, 2020
The Potential for Plugging Abandoned Wells as Green Economic Stimulus
This infographic from a new report by Resources for the Future and Columbia University examines the potential of a federal program to create jobs through plugging orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells.