More the $26 million going to abandoned oil and gas well cleanup in Arizona
KNAU
The Biden administration has announced more than $26 million for environmental cleanup projects in Arizona.
The funds from last year’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help remediate hazardous abandoned oil and gas well sites that are sources of pollution in the state.
According to Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly who, along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, advocated for the funds, the abandoned wells are a major public health risk in the state.
According to the senators, the bipartisan law invests $16 billion in what’s known as “legacy pollution” and creates a new federal program to assess abandoned oil and gas wells, including in many rural and tribal communities.
The infrastructure law gained support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO, the Outdoor Industry Association and several other groups and officials throughout the country.