Lawmakers frustrated by lack of orphan well action

Some Wyoming lawmakers are expressing frustration with how the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is addressing thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells. The so-called orphan wells are primarily wells that belonged to companies that have gone out of business and it's up to the state to plug and reclaim them. There are about 1,250 orphan wells in Wyoming, and another 1,300 that are likely to be added to the list. The backlog and expense of plugging them means many abandoned wells may sit for years without any resolution. Lawmakers have been pressing the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for months on how it plans to address the problem. On Thursday, members of a joint legislative minerals committee were critical that the commission hadn't provided any plans.