Post-Gazette Proposes Compromise on Who Pays to Plug Old Wells

Two days ago, MDN brought you an extensive article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that delves into the thorny issue of who should pay to plug some of the 200,000+ orphaned and abandoned wells in Pennsylvania (see The Thorny Issue of PA’s Old Conv. Wells & Who Pays to Plug Them). In some cases, the owners of the wells are known, but the current owner is not the original owner who drilled the well. New owners didn't intend to take on the liability of paying to plug the wells and want the government (state or federal) to pay to have them plugged. The editors of the Post-Gazette published a follow-up editorial proposing a compromise on how to pay to have them plugged.

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