Identifying Abandoned Well Sites Using Database Records and Aeromagnetic Surveys

Saint-Vincent, Patricia M. B.; Sams, James I.; Hammack, Richard; Veloski, Garret; Pekney, Natalie J.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c00044

Cited by 27 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Across the United States, there are many states with oil production dating back to the 19th century, including California (Brandt, 2011) and Texas. A recent study scaling up results from database records and aeromagnetic surveys estimates that the average number of drilled wells in the United States is 6,037,587, with 1,159,689 being abandoned (Saint-Vincent et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Number Of Active and Inactive Oil And Gas Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, government databases do not provide sufficient information to assess whether a well is plugged properly. Overall, aside from vented plugged wells, measurements show lower average rates of methane emissions from plugged wells than unplugged wells Townsend-Small et al, 2016;Saint-Vincent et al, 2020a;Williams et al, 2020); nonetheless, leakage to groundwater and/or to the atmosphere can occur at unplugged and deteriorating or poorly plugged wells (Kell, 2011;McMahon et al, 2018).…”

Section: Barriers and Limitations Of Well Pluggingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Orphaned oil and gas well stimulus—Maximizing economic and environmental benefits

Kang

Brandt

Zheng

et al. 2021

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Orphaned oil and gas wells are abandoned wells for which the cost of environmental impacts usually falls on governments and the general public. Government agencies responsible for well plugging often face funding shortfalls and many orphaned wells remain unplugged. To address this and support the oil and natural gas industry, federal governments are already spending, or considering spending, billions of dollars to plug orphaned oil and gas wells. Here, we analyze oil and gas data for the United States and Canada and identify policy recommendations that can best address environmental impacts of abandoned and orphaned wells. At least 116,245 wells across 32 states and four Canadian provinces/territories are operated by companies filing for bankruptcy in the first half of 2020, which may be an indication that many wells will be orphaned in the near future. Moreover, there are 4,700,000 historic and active oil and gas wells in the United States and another 790,000 in Canada. Of these, 2,000,000 and 310,000 wells are active in the United States and Canada, respectively. Thus, three of five wells ever drilled in the United States are currently inactive (2,700,000 wells), but only one in three are plugged (1,500,000 wells). Plugging involves isolating zones containing oil, gas, and water and is the main strategy for well abandonment. If the orphaned well stimulus funding comes through, tens of thousands of wells will be plugged within a few years. Well plugging at this scale far exceeds current rates of plugging, and it is important that we work to ensure long-term environmental benefits of well abandonment to water, air, climate, ecosystems, and human health. Minimizing environmental impacts of the millions of abandoned and orphaned wells in the United States, Canada, and abroad will allow for an economically beneficial and environmentally safe transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

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Section: Number Of Active and Inactive Oil And Gas Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Barriers and Limitations Of Well Pluggingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orphaned oil and gas well stimulus—Maximizing economic and environmental benefits

Kang

Brandt

Zheng

et al. 2021

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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“…The average distance between a well identified in the field and an OCC orphan well site was 1.0 ± 0.9 km. Well locations from public databases are not often reliable sources for accurate well locations or counts (Saint‐Vincent, Sams, et al, 2020). Differences in well locations are likely the result of different spatial localization technologies (GPS coordinates are not required for well permits in Oklahoma; Oil & Gas Conservation Division, 2018), or the result of improper conversion between coordinate systems.…”

Section: Data and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, there are 88,849 unplugged abandoned wells and 125,200 plugged abandoned wells reported for the Appalachian Basin (DrillingInfo. Wells Data, 2019) (although reports suggest public databases are inaccurate and incomplete (Saint‐Vincent, Sams, et al, 2020), and there could be 305,000–390,000 abandoned wells in Pennsylvania alone (Dilmore et al, 2015). Using the Appalachian Basin EF of 670 g/day for unplugged wells from the GHGI (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2020), we calculated the emissions of unplugged wells as 540,000 mt CO 2 e/year; yet based on well predictions the emissions could be as high as 1.8–2.4 million mt CO 2 e/year in Pennsylvania alone (plugged wells in the Appalachian Basin have an EF of 0 g/day in the GHGI although this likely underrepresents emissions) (Dilmore et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of Abandoned Oil Well Characteristics Affecting Methane Emissions Estimates in the Cherokee Platform in Eastern Oklahoma

Saint-Vincent

Reeder

Sams

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

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Anthropogenic activities increase methane emissions, contributing to greenhouse gas levels and adversely affecting the environment. Abandoned oil and gas wells potentially leak methane, but data are limited. We analyze methane emissions from abandoned wells (n = 179) in the Cherokee Platform in Oklahoma, a previously unaccounted basin, and compare emissions factors (EFs) to those in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory. We compare the contribution of various characteristics to the propensity for leakage. Higher emissions were observed with shallower wells and with unplugged wells. Plugged wells (n = 20) had an average EF of 96 ± 429 g/day and 65 ± 294 g/day for unplugged wells (n = 159). The majority of wells had no detectable leak. We calculated ethane EFs based on geochemical analysis of gas samples, finding higher EFs for unplugged (1.2 ± 5.5 g/day) versus plugged (0.9 ± 4.6 g/day) wells. The data indicate that in addition to the location of abandoned wells, physical characteristics are necessary to consider in estimating methane emissions. Plain Language Summary The Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI) is a compendium of all known intentional and unintentional sources of greenhouse gas emissions from the United States. Although the GHGI catalogues emissions from many individual leakage points, such as pipelines or abandoned wells, the latter have only been recently added to the GHGI. The amount of data collected and used for analysis is very small and geographically limited compared to the vast number of abandoned wells in the United States. This study examines abandoned wells in Oklahoma, a previously unstudied region, and compares the leakage rates with data in the GHGI. Geographic locations, well plugging statuses, and well depths are important factors that influence leakage rates. This new analysis will aid in remediation efforts as wells in more leakage-prone regions can be prioritized for well plugging and environmental mitigation, thereby decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

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“…11 Although data remain quite limited, emissions rates appear to vary across well types (i.e., oil or gas wells), geology, and-most importantly-plugging status, with unplugged wells typically emitting more methane than plugged wells. e.g., 2,20,21,19,[22][23][24] Although there are considerable uncertainties surrounding the magnitude of environmental risks, some recent evidence has suggested that proximity to unplugged oil and gas wells reduces property values considerably. In a working paper, Shappo 25 estimates that property values are roughly $15,000 (11%) lower for Pennsylvania homes within two kilometers of unplugged wells compared with similar homes that are not close to unplugged wells.…”

Section: Risks Of Unplugged Abandoned Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decommissioning Orphaned and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells: New Estimates and Cost Drivers

Raimi¹,

Krupnick²,

Shih³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Millions of abandoned wells are scattered across the United States, causing significant methane emissions and creating a variety of health and environmental hazards. Governments are increasingly interested in decommissioning such wells via tougher regulations or direct spending, but want to do so efficiently. However, information on the costs of decommissioning wells is very limited. In this analysis, we provide new estimates of the costs of decommissioning oil and gas wells and the key drivers of those costs. We analyze data from up to 19,500 wells and find that median decommissioning costs are roughly $20,000 for plugging only, and $76,000 for plugging and surface reclamation. In rare cases, costs exceed $1 million per well. Each additional 1,000 feet of well depth increases costs by 20 percent, older wells are considerably more costly than newer ones, natural gas wells are nine percent more expensive than wells that produce oil, and costs vary widely by state. Surface characteristics also matter: each additional 10 feet of elevation change in the 5-acre area surrounding the well raises costs by three percent. Finally, we find that contracting in bulk pays off: each additional well per contract reduces decommissioning costs by three percent. These findings suggest that regulators can adjust bonding requirements to better match the characteristics of each well.

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Identifying Abandoned Well Sites Using Database Records and Aeromagnetic Surveys

Cited by 27 publications

References 32 publications

Orphaned oil and gas well stimulus—Maximizing economic and environmental benefits

Orphaned oil and gas well stimulus—Maximizing economic and environmental benefits

An Analysis of Abandoned Oil Well Characteristics Affecting Methane Emissions Estimates in the Cherokee Platform in Eastern Oklahoma

Decommissioning Orphaned and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells: New Estimates and Cost Drivers

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