When North Dakota directed more than $66 million in federal pandemic relief funds to clean up old oil and gas wells last year, it seemed like the type of program everyone could get behind. The money would plug hundreds of abandoned wells and restore the often-polluted land surrounding them, and in the process would employ oilfield workers who had been furloughed after prices crashed.
The program largely accomplished those goals. But some environmental advocates say it achieved another they didn’t expect: It bailed out dozens of small to mid-sized oil companies, relieving them of their responsibility to pay for cleaning up their own wells by using taxpayer money instead.
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Photo Credit: Daryl Peterson
Up against Trump’s destructive presidency – can art and culture make a difference?
By Ken Grossinger. Strongmen all want the same thing. They want us to feel powerless. When we feel we don’t make a difference, that’s when
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April 9, 2025