https://writersontherange.org/the-west-is-about-to-inherit-more-abandoned-oil-wells/ Syndicated Opinion for the American West Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:55:30 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://writersontherange.org/the-west-is-about-to-inherit-more-abandoned-oil-wells/#comment-1174 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:55:30 +0000 https://writersontherange.org/?p=11159#comment-1174 Count me in the 90%. They (the oil companies) are wrong, and we’re right. They absolutely SHOULD remediate their mess. That being said, the author (Will Pattiz) cheapens his article when he lies about the situation. Mr. Pattiz says, “… the cleanup, paid in advance by taxpayers who will never see a dime of the oil.” That statement is simply not true. The government receives a royalty for oil produced on BLM lands. That royalty is 12.5%, and it’s paid by the oil company regardless of the profitability of the well. It comes right off the top of every barrel produced even on a well that loses money.

]]> https://writersontherange.org/the-west-is-about-to-inherit-more-abandoned-oil-wells/#comment-1170 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:13:29 +0000 https://writersontherange.org/?p=11159#comment-1170 This article appeared in the “Vail Daily” on June 30. Imagine how much more useful it would have been if it included the contact information for submitting a public comment.

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