"DEC Does What?!" Podcast Episode 36: Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells - Meet the Team Tracking these Hidden Hazards

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today released the latest episode of “DEC Does What?!”, a podcast that features conversations with DEC experts about the agency’s wide-ranging efforts to protect New Yorkers and the environment. Episode 36 spotlights the work of DEC’s Division of Mineral Resources to address the threats that unplugged oil and gas wells have on the environment and public safety across New York State. 

Approximately 35,000 orphaned wells are estimated to exist in New York State, many drilled and abandoned before the existence of DEC or modern environmental regulations. In this episode, hosts DEC Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner for Equity and Justice Adriana Espinoza and Region 4 Director Sean Mahar talk with Grace Gallagher and Nathan Graber from DEC’s Oil and Gas Compliance Enforcement Section about New York State’s progress to identify, prioritize, and plug abandoned wells. They’ll cover how drone technology helps locate high priority orphaned gas wells leaking methane into the environment and ways DEC engages with New Yorkers to search for abandoned wells on their property.  

Grace and Nathan also share memorable well-plugging projects they were involved with, including an orphaned well leaking gas and vegetation-killing brine in Rome, Oneida County, and two abandoned wells drilled in the 1870s for a now-demolished hotel located on an island on the Susquehanna River in Tioga County. 

Experts from DEC’s Division of Mineral Resources were previously featured in episode 25 (“From Pit to Park: Reclaiming New York’s Mined Lands”) which discussed the essential role of minerals in New York State’s economy and how the agency oversees the mining industry to ensure the protection of natural resources. 

All episodes of “DEC Does What?!” are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,YouTube,Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms.  

For more information on "DEC Does What?!," visit https://dec.ny.gov/news/podcast.