Oil and gas production is the backbone of our country’s energy market, but it is so much more. Its uses range from gasoline for our vehicles to plastics for household items. It is essential to the economy and our way of life, and responsible operation and maintenance is not just our duty, but our legacy.

 

Louisiana oil and gas well operators bring millions of barrels of crude oil to the surface each month. When those oil and gas wells are discarded and are no longer operated or maintained, they become orphan wells. In 1993, the Louisiana Office of Conservation estimated that there were approximately 1,900 orphan wells in Louisiana. In 2021, that number grew to over 4,000 orphan wells. Every year, the number of orphan wells continues to grow.