The Green New Deal proposal has created quite a stir around the country, with members across party lines wondering about the impact such drastic eco-friendly changes would have on the nation. Perhaps no one is more worried than the owners and operators across the oil industry and oilfield supply company Carlsbad NM companies. However, not all of the proposed changes have been met with extreme dismay.
One Area of Common Ground
Within the Green New Deal, there is a proposal to plug and abandoned gas and oil wells. In the last 100 years of the industry, only one million abandoned wells have been capped off, leaving more than two million left as eyesores and environmental hazards. These wells may not be releasing oil, but they are pumping methane gas into the atmosphere. Millions of metric tons worth every year. Plugging up the wells would eliminate these emissions which are 84 times more damaging and dangerous than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period.
The Benefits of the Program
The environmental benefits of capping these wells should be enough to make forward progress in this direction, but it is slow going. Several states have taken action to cap off these wells, and one of the benefits has been the creation of jobs for gas and oil employees who had been laid off. The plan would also keep carcinogen leaks to a minimum in the communities surrounding the location of these wells. A program sponsored at the federal level would have a tremendous impact and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Lowering emissions in the United States shouldn’t be a partisan concern. The impact of the national lifestyle and corporate operations are destroying the natural resources of the earth, and there is only so much the Environmental Protection Agency can do about it. Awareness and support for programs that are eco-friendly can build a safer, healthier American.
