SACRAMENTO, CA –Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) today issued the following statement after her legislation, Senate Bill 84 –the Orphan Wells Equity and Remediation Act – was approved by the Senate by a 31-3 vote:

“Communities in the south Central Valley continue to be neglected when it comes to environmental protection, jobs, but most of all public health,” said Senator Hurtado. “There are an estimated 100,000 active and idle gas wells in California—5,540 wells that may have no viable operator are at risk of becoming abandoned in the near future. Idle well and orphaned wells can release toxic emissions that can create health concerns in surrounding communities. SB 84 provides much needed transparency around orphan well remediation, and will give us a better picture of what equity in well remediation should look like.”

SB 84 requires enhanced reporting relative to hazardous, long-term idle and orphan wells. There are approximately 107,000 active or idle oil and gas wells in California. A majority of the state’s oil and gas development occurs in the southern Central Valley. A large portion of idle wells have not produced oil and gas for at least two years, and have not been “plugged and abandoned”—meaning that they have not been capped to prevent polluting emissions. Idle wells can easily become orphan wells if the insolvent operators desert them. This creates a risk of shifting liability for decommissioning the wells to the State.

SB 84 requires that the California Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, annual report and update to the California Legislature includes the location of applicable hazardous wells and facilities, including the county where they are located and the registered operator.

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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