Recent news tells of the federal government’s intent to spend $1.15 billion to cap orphan gas and oil wells in 26 states. For its part, the American Petroleum Institute issued a statement “We welcome the administration’s efforts to address orphaned wells,” said the API spokesperson. I should hope so.
My question is, what kind of person/organization would walk away from a gas/oil well that isn’t capped? It seems like there should already be structure in place to prevent or remedy this. Leaving behind open wells that could be venting hazardous natural gas should be defined as willful negligence and subject to criminal penalties for the company officers. This behavior is an affront to those of us in the chemical industry who strive to comply with good operating practices and environmental compliance 24/7/365.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
I assume there is a list of the ownership of those orphan wells that is or could be made public. It should be provided to the news media in those respective 26 states and the citizenry invited to contact the owners. Perhaps in the form of a loud public demonstration in front of the corporate offices of the companies involved.