Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned wells

Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned wells

No one is checking to see if they are leaking, investigation finds

More than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells lurk in the hard rock beneath the Gulf of Mexico, an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades. No one — not industry, not government — is checking to see if they are leaking, an Associated Press investigation shows.

The oldest of these wells were abandoned in the late 1940s, raising the prospect that many deteriorating sealing jobs are already failing.

The AP investigation uncovered particular concern with 3,500 of the neglected wells — those characterized in federal government records as "temporarily abandoned."

News Source

I was surprised to read this, having not even heard of it before today. I am inclined to think this disaster is a planed, and executed operation....it certainly seems that way, doesn't it? I heard somewhere that some scientists had a plan to grow algae in the Gulf, but a "dead zone" was needed. Anyone else hear this? Proven, it could go toward showing the Deepwater spill for what it really may be.

i thin the notion this was done for commercial algae production seems highly unlikely (algae is already produced commercially in controlled settings), but the amount of abandoned wells DOES make me wonder if there is a well leaking they arent telling us about. Or more than one.

reply to post by autowrench


If any of these wells are nearby Macando, BP should buy them up to use for the cement (or some other pliable substance) squeeze injectors.

check out this thread. www.abovetopsecret.com...
that deadzone for new energy technology theory isnt sounding so out there when you connect those dots

reply to post by mutantgenius


Yeah, as long as you totally ignore the fact that there are already viable commercial algae farms on land that are FAR more profitable than harvesting algae from dirtied sea water.

Another good link to the OP story:

rawstory.com...

When it comes to mining, we humans are pretty primitive and well, let's be honest....stupid.

The 27k abandoned wells in the Gulf is just the tip of the iceberg.

Google Centralia Pennsylvania. A perfect example of humans screwing things up. A truly tragic coal mine fire that STILL burns after 40+ years...
www.offroaders.com...

Check out the Darvaz Russia gas crater as well for further evidence that humans suck at mining lol. This gas fire has been burning since it was set by the Russians over 30-40years ago.


Even the greedy people should be very upset about all of these disasters we have created in the last 200years of mass mining.

They are just wasting their precious resources.

We should spend a vast majority of our efforts focused on fixing the problems we create by our poor mining skills.

It is not just the Gulf, it's everywhere. We are facing major problems if we do not solve each of these dilemmas. This should be humanities priority #1.

[edit on 7-7-2010 by muzzleflash]

It is not just a Gulf area problem; abandoned oil and gas wells are a problem worldwide, on both land and in our oceans. In the United States alone, note the following number of abandoned oil and gas wells on land:

"Orphaned and Abandoned Wells. There exist in the United States approximately 57,000 “orphan” oil and natural gas wells. These are wells that are no longer being produced, are idle without approval of the state, and for which the operator (who drilled and/or operated the wells) is unknown or insolvent. The wells were usually drilled and operated before states began rigorous regulation of oil and natural gas production."

"The wells often pose a significant environmental risk – of contamination of ground and surface waters – unless and until they are properly plugged and abandoned under supervision of the state. While most states have resources directed to solving this problem, it is never enough to take care of the problem. I have attached the IOGCC publication entitled “Produce or Plug?: The Dilemma over the Nation’s Idle Oil and Natural Gas Wells.”

Source: www.rrc.state.tx.us...

[edit on 7-7-2010 by manta78]

If we include coal mines, the number will more than double.

I really would include them because they pose many risks and dangers as well.

Plus coal is our "other" major fuel source.

There are coal mine disasters weekly, and yet no one really seems to notice how screwed up that actually is.

Think of how many coal mine disasters have occurred in China in recent years? Also, the biggest coal mine fire on Earth is supposedly in China, way bigger than the Centralia PA coal fire.

Crazy stuff.

Abandoned wells are in fields that are depleted.
no more oil to pump and the gas pressure is gone.

If they still had ether enough oil or gas to cause a problem they would still be producing.

We have many onshore sealed wells (abandoned wells) in Calif and i have not heard of any problem with the one that were sealed under modern federal and state standards.

Once in a while you hear of a old well (before modern federal and state standards)that was seal 40 or 50 years ago and the records lost as to where the well was that have caused minor problems.



[edit on 7-7-2010 by ANNED]

[edit on 7-7-2010 by ANNED]

Originally posted by ANNED
Abandoned wells are in fields that are depleted.
not more oil to pump and the gas pressure is gone.

If they still had ether enough oil or gas to cause a problem they would still be producing.

No. Try reading the article:

Experts say such wells can repressurize, much like a dormant volcano can awaken. And years of exposure to sea water and underground pressure can cause cementing and piping to corrode and weaken. Story continues below

"You can have changing geological conditions where a well could be repressurized," said Andy Radford, a petroleum engineer for the American Petroleum Institute trade group.

Whether a well is permanently or temporarily abandoned, improperly applied or aging cement can crack or shrink, independent petroleum engineers say. "It ages, just like it does on buildings and highways," said Roger Anderson, a Columbia University petroleum geophysicist who has conducted research on commercial wells.

Originally posted by ANNEDWe have many onshore sealed wells (abandoned wells) in Calif and i have not heard of any problem with the one that were sealed under modern federal and state standards.

Once in a while you hear of a old well (before modern federal and state standards)that was seal 40 or 50 years ago and the records lost as to where the well was that have caused minor problems.

from the article:

Offshore, but in state waters, California has resealed scores of its abandoned wells since the 1980s.

In deeper federal waters, though — despite the similarities in how such wells are constructed and how sealing procedures can fail — the official policy is out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service — the regulatory agency recently renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement — relies on rules that have few real teeth. Once an oil company says it will permanently abandon a well, it has one year to complete the job. MMS mandates that work plans be submitted and a report filed afterward.

[edit on 7-7-2010 by justadood]

"Drill, baby, drill" come to mind?

reply to post by ANNED



True.

But they require monitoring.

Surface Casing Vent Flows Tests. Bubble Tests. Etc.

Why the states don't have industry required to contribute to an orphan well fund, or an incentive to big players to adopt orphan wells is beyond me.

But I will blame it once again on the truly retarded bureaucracy management mish-mash that passes for good governance in and between states. Seriously guys. US bureaucracy makes my Practical Canadian Bureaucratic self cringe.

interesting!
how much would they have to pay if old wells started leaking badly?
and it was found out some have been leaking for some time.
less than they will have to pay now?
this they claim is a accident.
but if it is negligents? (see bottom)
they knew about it and did nothing.

"They" right now is "you." You own the wells by default.

You also are the government. So you could get a movement going that forced bureaucracies to make consistent enforced standards, and enforced that industry commits a certain amount of money to a trust that is meant for taking care of orphan wells.

Currently, *YOU* are on the hook.