According to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, there are at least 49 orphan wells in the state -- wells that are abandoned and not plugged -- on private, state and federal lands.

Congress is once again debating who should clean them up. Last year, the Biden administration proposed increasing the minimum bond amounts on oil and gas leases. But Republicans in the U.S. House have voted to repeal those reforms, saying they would reduce oil production. The bill passed on a party-line vote.

Dave Jenkins, president of the group Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, contended operators in the West know how to play the system and offload well-site cleanup costs to taxpayers.

"There's an easy fix here, which is to require a bond adequate enough that if they do skip out, we have the money to clean it up and it's not taxpayers holding the bag," Jenkins suggested.

Jenkins argued anyone who is what he called "fiscally conservative and cares about keeping taxes low" should support the Interior Department's proposed reforms. The proposal would increase the minimum lease bond amount to $150,000 and the minimum statewide bond to $500,000.

Jenkins noted his group studied the issue and found taxpayers could be on the hook for as much as $15 billion for future plugging and cleanup costs of orphan wells on federal land if the proposed reform is not enacted. He added estimates of the number of abandoned wells nationwide range from hundreds of thousands to millions, creating a long-term financial burden for taxpayers.

"The cost of plugging a well can range from $100,000 to sometimes upwards of $1 million," Jenkins pointed out. "Specially if you're talking about really deep wells, like we see more and more of today."

Jenkins stressed the Biden administration needs to finalize the proposed rule to help ensure the Bureau of Land Management's multiple-use approach is being prioritized. The bill to squash it is now in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


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Appalachian communities in Kentucky are poised to become manufacturing hubs for the wind energy industry, experts say.

The region's workforce, accessible transportation routes, and stash of coal ash deposits -- which contain rare earth metals needed for turbine production -- all point to a role for Appalachia in the industry's supply chain.

Larry Holloway, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Kentucky, said wind energy is a quickly growing industry in America. He pointed out more than 11% of all power produced in the U.S. comes from wind turbines and the number grows by 2% each year.

"Wind is pretty inexpensive," Holloway explained. "It depends in part on where in the country you are, how much wind you have and so forth, but it is one of the lowest cost energy sources. And in 2024, several months in a row, wind outproduced coal nationally."

According to federal data, the American wind energy industry currently supports more than 120,000 jobs and the number of wind turbine technicians is expected to grow by 60% over the next decade.

Critics have argued wind power comes with expensive production and maintenance costs, and long-term environmental impacts.

Mike Shields, senior economist for ReImagine Appalachia, said to help with the transition to wind-based power, decommissioned coal power plants could be repurposed as manufacturing facilities for parts used in wind turbines.

"We know that wind turbines are major infrastructure and there are a lot of working parts in those," Shields emphasized. "How our communities can participate in that supply chain is really the key thing that we want to take a look at."

While it remains unclear how tariffs will affect the nation's ability to develop more wind turbine parts, Holloway stressed U.S. based manufacturing is strong.

"There are a number of final assembly lines and parts that are already made in the U.S.," Holloway underscored. "We may, in fact, see even more demand in that area coming in the future as well."

According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 33% of Americans think a wind turbine farm would positively affect their local economy, while 9% said wind turbines would hurt it. Another 27% said installing a wind turbine farm would make no difference.

Minnesota is considered a national leader for community solar opportunities but a successful state program expanding solar access would end in the next few years if a bill is signed into law.

Minnesota launched its Community Solar Garden program in 2013, allowing people to link up to a shared array of Xcel Energy solar panels and receive credits on their energy bills.

Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, supports a bill to end the initiative in 2028. He said he still wants the state to use more renewable energy but feels continuing the program does not make economic sense.

"Given Minnesota's commitment to 100% clean energy by 2040, we want clean energy technologies to compete on price and reliability," Frentz explained.

Frentz pointed out the Community Solar program still relies on above-market rates, despite the decreasing cost of solar power. He added the program is partially paid for by utility customers who do not subscribe to it. Two years ago, the state modified the program to address underlying issues and opponents of the bill want more time for the changes to work. They worry about reducing solar access for renters and lower-income households.

Patty O'Keefe, Midwest regional director for the advocacy group Vote Solar, cited state data at a recent hearing showing the Community Solar Program provides nearly $3 billion in net benefits to the whole state. She added Minnesotans already pay for energy they may not use.

"The reality is that utilities routinely socialize the costs of power plants, transmission lines and grid upgrades, whether or not every customer benefits," O'Keefe emphasized. "Yet, when it comes to community solar, the same cost sharing principles are framed as a problem."

O'Keefe noted Minnesotans who use community solar panels see their monthly energy bills drop by 3% to 8% on average. Bill supporters argued the state could better serve these households by steering them to options at competitive market prices. The bill has bipartisan support but faces stronger opposition among Democrats.


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A bill would effectively delay implementation of clean car and truck programs in Maryland, but electric-vehicle manufacturers and health groups are urging lawmakers to reject the measure.

House Bill 1556 would put programs on hold that would require 43% of 2027 model year vehicles sold to be electric.

That percentage would gradually increase to 100% by 2035, and the clean-truck program would ultimately reach 75%.

The legislation would lift penalties for missed goals until 2029, but keep sales percentages the same.

Ryan Gallentine, managing director of Advanced Energy United, said the legislation is a test for Maryland lawmakers as President Donald Trump seeks to roll back vehicle standards.

"This bill hands a free talking point to the Trump administration," said Gallentine, "who will point to leaders in blue state Maryland, who pass this bill as backtracking on EVs - and is more evidence that blue-state leadership is feckless on this."

The sponsor of the bill has previously said a lack of charging infrastructure and the end of federal EV tax credits are reasons to put the programs on pause.

Clean-vehicle standards similar to the Maryland bill have been passed in more than a dozen other states.

Trisha Dello Iocano, head of policy with CALSTART -- a clean-transportation technology group -- said the legislation would negatively impact the health of Marylanders.

"They protect Marylanders from toxic airborne chemicals," said Iocano, "vehicle exhausts that are known to cause cancer, harm lung health and impact the cognitive development of young children. "

Clean-vehicle industry leaders have voiced concern that the legislation would bring uncertainty into the electric-vehicle market.




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