Navajo Nation receives nearly $5 million to alleviate pollution concerns with orphaned gas, oil wells
The Navajo Nation will receive nearly $5 million in federal funding for necessary work on orphaned oil and gas wells, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday.
On the Navajo land, undocumented wells will be identified and undergo quality assessment. Work will include plugging 19 other wells and verification that the plugging won’t allow further harmful gas emissions.
Abandoned wells can contaminate groundwater and pollute drinking water sources, and methane can trap heat in the atmosphere at a much greater rate than carbon dioxide.