Oil Drilling
Silent Threat: America’s Abandoned Oil Wells and the Danger Beneath
Abandoned oil and gas wells across the U.S. pose significant environmental, health, and safety risks, with many leaking hazardous gases and chemicals, highlighting regulatory failures and the immense financial burden of remediation.
AI Uncovers Forgotten Oil Wells: A High-Tech Solution to Environmental Hazards
Researchers are using artificial intelligence, drones, and sensors to locate and assess undocumented orphaned oil and gas wells, addressing their environmental and climate risks by identifying high-priority sites for plugging and methane mitigation.
Plugging the Gap: Taxpayers Shoulder the Burden of Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
Taxpayers, federal agencies, and tribal governments are working to address Arizona's orphaned oil and gas wells, which pose environmental and health risks, while advocates call for greater accountability from oil and gas companies.
Addressing Orphan Wells for Environmental Justice
Remediating and repurposing some orphan oil and gas wells into parks can turn environmental hazards into community assets, promoting health, environmental justice, and accessible green space for underserved areas.
Biden Administration Moves to Protect Alaskan Refuge From Drilling
The administration is taking quick action to cement some of Biden’s key environmental accomplishments before the new Trump administration takes the reins.
California Law Affirms Local Power Over Oil Extraction
A new law strengthens local governments’ ability to regulate and limit fossil fuel production in their jurisdictions.
Governor Newsom Signs Bills to Restrict Oil and Gas Operations Near Communities
The signed legislation grants local communities more authority to restrict oil and gas operations near sensitive areas and address the environmental risks of idle wells, while also ensuring the permanent shutdown of low-production wells.
Judge Sides With Oil Companies Over LA Drilling Ban
The decision invalidates a law that would have eliminated oil drilling in the city over the next 20 years. A proposed state law could still let cities regulate extraction.
Texas Earthquakes Linked to Fracking
A new study reveals earthquakes that began at shallower depths than previously thought are associated with wastewater disposal sites from fracking operations.
High Ozone Levels Threaten New Mexico Oil Town
The small community of Loving, New Mexico has higher ozone levels than dense cities like Los Angeles.
California Could Extend Oil Well Monitoring Deadlines
Legislators are considering extending the deadline for new oil well safety regulations by up to 54 months, sparking controversy over whether the delay benefits the oil industry at the expense of public health.
$127 Million Allocated to Clean Up Orphaned Wells in Five States
The funding will be used to plug orphaned oil and gas wells, addressing environmental hazards, creating jobs, and advancing environmental justice as part of a larger effort funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
California's Struggle to End Neighborhood Oil Drilling Faces Fierce Industry Opposition
Assembly Bill 1866 aims to address the health hazards caused by idle oil wells in low-income communities by enforcing stricter regulations on oil companies to accelerate well cleanup, despite significant opposition from the oil industry.
Oil Industry Withdraws Ballot Measure, Shifts to Legal Fight Over California Well Restrictions
California's oil industry has withdrawn its ballot measure challenging a law that restricts oil and gas wells near homes and schools, opting to contest the law in court.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
EPA: Louisiana Can Approve Carbon Capture Projects
Environmental groups worry carbon sequestration could impact water supplies and pollute the same communities already impacted by oil and gas extraction.
A New Vision for a South LA Oil Drilling Site
A local land trust wants to transform the defunct drilling site with a park, community center, and housing.
Do Environmentalists Confuse Oil Production With Oil Demand?
Samantha Gross, the director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, argues that the key to reducing emissions is to do the hard work of reducing oil demand rather than focusing on ending U.S. oil drilling.
The ‘Necessity of Oil and Gas Drilling’
The California Supreme Court on Aug. 3 unanimously overturned a successful 2016 Monterey County ballot measure that banned new oil and gas drilling. According to plaintiff Chevron USA, the justices recognized the ‘necessity of oil and gas drilling.’
Election 2024: California Oil Drilling Referendum
Environmentalists gear up for battle to reject a referendum funded by Big Oil on a law passed last year that would ban oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
