Colorado has about 47,000 unplugged oil and gas wells.
Last year, the Bureau of Land Management updated its leasing requirements so that companies would be disincentivized from abandoning wells without cleaning them up.
The Trump administration now plans to rescind that rule, but a conservative organization is pushing back, saying the move could cost American taxpayers $753 billion.
“It's hard for us to understand why the current administration would rather side with the scammers who are not living up to their promise, rather than protecting taxpayers like you and me,” said David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship.
As part of their public land leases, companies have to set aside money to restore drill sites when they finish extracting oil or gas. If they abandon the site, land managers put the money toward cleanup costs.
But that lease bond amount was set in 1960 and no longer covered those costs or provided adequate incentive for companies to fulfill their obligations.
“We’re a fiscally conservative organization, and I think it's only fair that we do what we learned when we were growing up: You make a mess, you clean it up,” said Jenkins. “And that's what these companies ought to do, especially when they're making all the profit off the oil.”
A November report from the advocacy group found that if leases are sold on the 200 million acres of western public lands open to drilling, BLM could be left responsible for $753 billion in cleanup costs.
Unplugged gas wells can leak toxic chemicals into the soil and waterways — creating hazards for agriculture, people and wildlife.
They also release methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. When burned, it emits carbon dioxide.
But when it enters the atmosphere unburned, it’s a far more potent planet-warming gas.
“We have thousands upon thousands of unplugged wells just leaking methane into the air,” Jenkins said. “Instead of burning that natural gas, you're just letting it waffle into the atmosphere, unburned. And then that causes our climate issues and all the costs associated with that.”
Jenkins said conservatives have a long legacy of environmental leadership — from Teddy Roosevelt’s land conservation to Ronald Reagan signing the ozone-protecting Montreal Protocol.
Conservatives should acknowledge the challenge of climate change, Jenkins said, and then advocate for preferred solutions.
“If conservatives don't engage on these issues and find market-friendly and conservative solutions, they're basically punting the issue to the left and saying, ‘We'll let them come up with all the solutions.’”
