The oil and gas industry has reaped profits without ensuring there will be money to plug and clean up their wells.
Not Donald Trump. Not Ted Cruz. But a little known Republican from West Texas ranks as the top recipient of fossil fuel money.
For one West Texas rancher, the orphaned wells have become both a mission and an existential threat.
The new Bureau of Land Management regulation, which applies to nearly 90,000 wells on federal public land, is hampered by math errors and overly optimistic cost projections.
As legal efforts fall short, residents are pursuing a novel strategy to halt the building of export terminals on unspoiled wetlands: Lobby Europeans to reject gas from the U.S.
Proposal to drill oil and gas near Denver superfund site raises concerns.
Oil and gas firm plans new wells near Aurora Reservoir and the Lowry Landfill Superfund site.
But a tax break for low-producing stripper wells gets slipped into a package with green energy breaks.
Unplugged oil and gas wells accelerate climate change, threaten public health and risk hitting taxpayers’ pocketbooks. ProPublica and Capital & Main found that the money set aside to fix the problem falls woefully short of the impending cost.
Contributions rise for Democrats as Legislature debates industry regulation.
New and updated regulations, a royalties increase and enforcement funding await major debate.
Ten years of meetings and plans abruptly dumped; future plans uncertain.
New bills could curb industry excesses; enforcement agencies offered small increases.
Environmentalists question the sustainability commitments made by Denver-based Civitas Resources.
Powerful lobbyists represent both oil and gas interests and environmental groups.
The company at the center of the settlement is called a “poster child” for state Oil and Gas Act reforms.
Kern County wants to use billions in federal tax credits to collect and bury carbon. To do so, it would build new facilities to produce more of the most abundant greenhouse gas.
The 1935 Oil and Gas Act outlines oversight of fossil fuel production in the state. It hasn’t been updated in decades.
Voluntary agreement on health and safety reforms hailed as progress but critics say it lacks teeth.
Critics say Railroad Commission and politicians focus on business, not environmental protection.