New laws in Colorado require oil and gas operators to put aside enough money to properly clean up wells once they are depleted. This new map illustrates low producing wells and the riskiest operators, and is also sortable by city, county, and legislative district so communities and their leaders can see which operators pose the greatest risk to the state.

The state estimates the cost of cleanup at about $120,000 per well on average. However, many operators have proposed putting aside only a few thousand dollars, far short of what is required.

If operators don’t clean up after themselves, the state of Colorado and taxpayers are on the hook to do so. Currently, about a third of operators have proposed cleanup costs less than state estimates, which presents a major decision for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

As the COGCC holds hearings this spring to evaluate whether plans from oil and gas companies are adequate, they must decide whether to enforce these rules and live up to their “best in the nation” description, or allow irresponsible oil and gas companies to skirt the rules and force Coloradans to clean up their messes.

To learn more about the analysis methods, data sources and data definitions view this document