Pursuits
In the Birthplace of U.S. Oil, Methane Gas Is Leaking Everywhere
- Some wells sunk since 1859 leak methane into homes and water
- "Citizen scientists" join regulators in race to map lost sites
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A mail box sits on an abandoned well pipe near blooming peonies, logs snag on metal casings rising out of a creek, children swing next to rusted pump jacks.
In Pennsylvania, birthplace of the U.S. oil industry, century-old abandoned oil wells have long been part of the landscape. Nobody gave much thought to it when many were left unplugged or filled haphazardly with dirt, lumber and cannon balls that slipped or rotted away.