Unplugged

Will Taxpayers Foot the Oil Industry’s Cleanup Bill?

Unplugged oil and gas wells accelerate climate change, threaten public health and risk hitting taxpayers’ wallets. Money set aside to fix the problem covers less than 2% of the impending cost.

Impact of Our Reporting

“A Fraudulent Scheme”: New Mexico Sues Texas Oil Companies for Walking Away From Their Leaking Wells

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin for ProPublica

January 22, 2026, 5:00 am EST

“A Setup for Disaster”: California Legislation Requiring Companies to Pay for Oil and Gas Well Cleanup in Limbo

by Mark Olalde

October 2, 2023, 6:00 am EDT

11 stories published since 2022

The American Oil Industry’s Playbook, Illustrated: How Drillers Offload Costly Cleanup Onto the Public

by Mark Olalde, illustrations by Peter Arkle, special to ProPublica

December 30, 2024, 5:00 am EST
Oklahoma’s Oil Industry Touts a Voluntary Fund to Clean Up Oil Wells. Major Drillers Want Their Contributions Refunded.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main

August 6, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
California Isn’t Enforcing Its Strongest-in-the-Nation Oil Well Cleanup Law on Its Largest Oil Company

by Mark Olalde

July 24, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
How America’s “Most Powerful Lobby” Is Stifling Efforts to Reform Oil Well Cleanup in State After State

by Mark Olalde

June 24, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main

May 6, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But It Won’t Be Enough.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main

April 22, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
The Rising Cost of the Oil Industry’s Slow Death

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main

February 22, 2024, 5:00 am EST
It Will Cost Up to $21.5 Billion to Clean Up California’s Oil Sites. The Industry Won’t Make Enough Money to Pay for It.

by Mark Olalde

May 18, 2023, 6:00 am EDT
Big Oil Companies Are Selling Their Wells. Some Worry Taxpayers Will Pay to Clean Them Up.

by Mark Olalde

October 27, 2022, 6:00 am EDT

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Unplugged

“A Fraudulent Scheme”: New Mexico Sues Texas Oil Companies for Walking Away From Their Leaking Wells

“A Setup for Disaster”: California Legislation Requiring Companies to Pay for Oil and Gas Well Cleanup in Limbo

The American Oil Industry’s Playbook, Illustrated: How Drillers Offload Costly Cleanup Onto the Public

Oklahoma’s Oil Industry Touts a Voluntary Fund to Clean Up Oil Wells. Major Drillers Want Their Contributions Refunded.

California Isn’t Enforcing Its Strongest-in-the-Nation Oil Well Cleanup Law on Its Largest Oil Company

How America’s “Most Powerful Lobby” Is Stifling Efforts to Reform Oil Well Cleanup in State After State

Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.

Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But It Won’t Be Enough.

The Rising Cost of the Oil Industry’s Slow Death

It Will Cost Up to $21.5 Billion to Clean Up California’s Oil Sites. The Industry Won’t Make Enough Money to Pay for It.

Big Oil Companies Are Selling Their Wells. Some Worry Taxpayers Will Pay to Clean Them Up.

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