Abandoned Oil Wells In Ohio Could Pose Health Concerns

Abandoned Oil Wells In Ohio 

Abandoned oil wells have a life span of about 40-50 years.  After this time period they can pose health threats to residents or people nearby.  These abandoned or capped or plugged wells can lose their seal and start to leak gas.  As we all know from 6th grade science class that matter seeks the path of least resistance.  When pressure is applied underground from fracking nearby these sealed oil wells can break.  Who is checking these wells to make sure the are still safe?  Where is the funding from the Government or the oil industry?  This is going to be a big health issue in the next few years and decade.  Stay tuned.  

If you live near an abandoned oil well in Ohio that you think might pose a safety risk please post the issue to our Oil and Gas Health & Safety Map

Air Quality Monitor Locations in East Texas

air quality monitors are located nowhere near fracking sites in East Texas?
I wonder why air quality monitors are located nowhere near fracking sites in East Texas? 

300 Oil Pipeline Leaks in North America Map

Do a search on our database for "pipeline" to find these exact locations and the article. 

Utah's Fracking Waste Water Ponds

waste water fracking

These pics are taken from Google Earth. Utah has been on a fracking frenzy and has recently gotten permits for at least 1,300 more wells near the Green River which flows into the Colorado River, which flows into recreational Lake Powell.

How To Drive Through Texas If You Have Respiratory Problems

how to avoid pollution in Texas driving
A Letter From Our Reader

Vancouver, English Bay Ship Oil Spill Map

Vancouver, English Bay Oil Spill Map

New vessel blamed for spill Transport Canada has confirmed the estimated 2,700 litres of oil was bunker fuel from the vessel M/V Marathassa, as had been suspected. People sit on the shore at Vancouver's Sunset Beach, in the West End, after bunker fuel leaked from the cargo ship Marathassa, upper right, beginning April 8, 2015. The ship is seen here anchored in Burrard Inlet April 9. About two metric tonnes of toxic fuel leaked into English Bay — double initial estimates — creating a slick 15-20 centimetres deep in places, coast guard officials said. 1 of 11 The official cause of the leak has not been released, but officials believe it was due to an unintentional malfunction on board the vessel, which was on its maiden voyage after being launched from a Japanese shipyard in February.  Read more 

It's Almost Impossible To Find Data On Oil And Gas Spills In Most States


WASHINGTON -- A new report from the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council has analyzed the data on spills and other violations at oil and gas wells across the country. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the report is how little data the group was able to turn up.

Based on NRDC's evaluation of dozens of state databases, only three states -- West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Colorado -- have easily accessible, publicly available data on spills and other violations. That's three states out of 36 that have active oil and gas development.

"We looked at 36 states, and there are only three states where it would be easy for a member of the public to sit down at their computer and get some information about a company's compliance record," said report co-author Amy Mall, a senior policy analyst at NRDC.

There are other states where citizens can file requests for data, but these three are the only ones where the information proved relatively easy to access, the group said.

Even among these three states, it turned out there was some inconsistency in the types of data available. Colorado's database isn't searchable, nor does it include descriptions of any violations. Pennsylvania and West Virginia both organized their violation data in ways that NRDC called "overly vague." West Virginia's database for spills, for example, lists the names of affected streams, but doesn't describe the extent of any potential damage. Colorado, meanwhile, lists how far each incident occurred from drinking-water sources and notes whether groundwater or surface water was affected, but it doesn't name any of the bodies of water in question. The laws about what constitutes a violation also differ for each state.  Read more

Map of Counties Where Oil & Gas Drilling Has Shut Down

The x's on the map are of Counties where drilling is no longer active.  The animation at the link below shows the deployment of drilling rigs since 2011, culminating recently in a sudden collapse. See this interactive map.  

Oil Train Route Map

As domestic oil production has increased rapidly in recent years, more and more of it is being transported by rail. The trains often travel through populated areas, leading to concerns among residents over the hazards they can pose, including spills and fires.
See the NY Times Article.  Also, see our map of oil train accidents