Letter to the editor: Federal funds for plugging wells a positive path forward
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Thank you for running the op-ed on well plugging by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Joan Mooney (“Plugging wells creates jobs and a healthier planet,” Oct. 15, TribLive). The federal funds coming to Pennsylvania to address the massive legacy issue of hundreds of thousands of abandoned wells that are leaking climate-killing methane unchecked have brought to light a way forward in addressing the climate crisis.
The climate movement has always called for a just transition for workers and communities. It requires action now to transition workers from the fossil-fuel economy of the past to the renewable, sustainable economy of the future. Foot-dragging by our government means that the transition will be more and more abrupt the longer they wait to begin it.
Right now, thousands of workers will be able to make entire careers from plugging and then maintaining in perpetuity all of those wells that, if not addressed, will only exacerbate the crisis. Transitioning oil and gas workers who want those jobs will create great career opportunities for them while buying all of us reduced emissions. The communities where the wells are located will enjoy benefits to both the local economy and public health.
If people and our planet are foremost in our elected officials’ minds, this opportunity is a no-brainer.
Karen Feridun
Kutztown
The writer is co-founder of the Better Path Coalition.