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What kind of problems can abandoned oil wells leave behind?

Nov 9, 2021
One Texas rancher still trying to find out whether a leak from a decommissioned oil well is a sign of other problems on her land.
Ashley Watt stands on her family cattle ranch in Crane County, Texas.
Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio

Questions about shale production arise as U.S. oil production falls

Oct 1, 2019
Analysts have raised questions about the limits of shale oil wells in the United States.
A high-pressure gas line crosses over a canal in an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation where fracking is used to extract oil and gas in Lost Hills, California, in 2014.
David McNew/Getty Images

It's not just big oil that's struggling

Smaller companies are getting by plugging wells for customers.
Small oil companies are feeling the squeeze of falling prices, too.
Courtesy Plants & Goodwin Inc.

How an oil rush made LA the city it is today

Dec 18, 2014
After first oil well was drilled in 1892, derricks became a symbol of Los Angeles.