Wildfires pose increasing risk to California oil wells
As firefighters continue to battle more than two dozen active wildfires in California, new research has found that millions of people are living in close proximity to oil and gas wells that are in the potential path of flames. More than 100,000 wells in 19 states west of the Mississippi River are in areas that have burned in recent decades and face a high risk of burning in the future, with the vast majority in California, according to a study published recently in the journal One Earth. What’s more, nearly 3 million Americans live within 3,200 feet of those wells, putting them at heightened risk of explosions, air and water pollution, infrastructure damage and other hazards.
Related articles:
- Forbes: House On Fire: Why The U.S. Has Most To Lose In A Warming World
- Public News Service: Report: CA giant sequoia groves in peril after megafires
- Tehachapi News: Wildfires threatened but didn’t damage water pumping facilities