Michigan’s Abandoned Oil Wells Raise Serious Environmental Concerns
There's a pressing issue lurking beneath our feet in Michigan, where thousands of oil wells are threatening both our environment and public health.
I was shocked to learn that we have over 1,000 oil wells in the state of Michigan. Of the 1,019 documented oil wells, only 300 have been safely plugged. Why does this matter? According to the Wilderness Society, oil wells leak a colorless, odorless gas called methane. Methane is 80 times worse for the environment than carbon.
In addition to warming the planet, methane can cause adverse health impacts like premature birth, asthma, and cancer. That’s not to mention toxins like hydrogen sulfide, benzene, and arsenic that can leak undetected from wells for years, slowly poisoning the air, water, and critical wildlife habitat.
The maps and data below are sourced from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
If we zoom in on Southwest Michigan, we'll find 159 documented Oil Wells. 50 of those wells are orphan wells. Basically, an orphan well is an unplugged well that nobody legally has financial responsibility for. Only 16 wells in Southwest Michigan have been plugged.
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Why does Michigan have so many unplugged oil wells? One word: cost. Plugging an oil well can range anywhere from $20,000 to $1 million.
Southwest Michigan Oil Wells by County
Allegan County (3)
- Wayland (1)
- Heath (1)
- Throwbridge (1)
Branch County (1)
- Coldwater (1)
Calhoun County (25)
- Albion (6)
- Convis (1)
- Lee (15)
- Sheridan (3)
Cass County (23)
- Calvin (22)
- Jefferson (1)
Kent County (8)
- Walker (7)
- Wyoming (1)
Muskegon County (31)
- Dalton (2)
- Egelston (1)
- Laketon (6)
- Muskegon (21)
- Ravenna (1)
Ottawa County (53)
- Allendale (1)
- Chester (1)
- Georgetown (19)
- Tallmadge (27)
- Wright (4)
- City Unlisted (1)
Van Buren County (15)
- Bloomingdale (3)
- Columbia (9)
- Geneva (3)
Michigan has already spent half of the $25 million Federal grant to plug abandoned wells that the state received in 2023. One issue is that prices for everything have risen over the last year. Adam Wygant, the director of the state's oil, gas, and minerals division, spoke to WCMU about the well plugging project.
We're just really excited about this federal funding opportunity to address these wells. It's super important for our state to protect groundwater, restore properties to full use, put people to work, and mitigate fugitive methane.
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Gallery Credit: Lauren Gordon