A new study has revealed that millions of Californians are living near oil and gas wells — and these wells are right in the path of potential wildfires.
This has led to experts sounding the alarm about this worrying revelation, as data shows that millions of people could be put in extreme peril if a wildfire heads to one of these wells in the near future.
Oil and Gas Wells in Wildfire Burn Areas
A new study published in the journal One Earth has revealed that more than 100,000 wells can be found west of the Mississippi River in 19 different states. These 100,000-plus wells are all in areas where there is a high risk that wildfires could burn.
A majority of these wells — about 103,878 of the 118,000 recorded — are located throughout California. This is more than 87% of the wells in the west.
Millions of Americans Live Near Wells
On the West Coast, about 3 million Americans live within 3,200 feet of these gas and oil wells, which also lay within a region that is considered at risk of ongoing wildfires.
In California, there are about 2.6 million people who live close to these potentially dangerous wells, according to this published study.
The Danger of Oil and Gas Wells
Many studies have long examined how dangerous it is for residents to live close to oil and gas wells in the United States.
Even inactive wells can quickly become dangerous, particularly if they are in a wildfire zone, as these wells sometimes still leak methane and other combustible — and deadly — emissions.
Putting Californians at Risk
As the majority of those affected by this study live in California, experts have warned that residents of the Golden State may face an uncertain and very dangerous future, especially if wildfires continue to burn at phenomenal rates every year from climate change.
The study explained that those who live near these wells in wildfire zones could face an increased risk of explosions, infrastructure damage, water pollution, air pollution, and more.
The Californians Most at Risk
Any resident who lives in an area that is at high risk of wildfires — while also living near wells — is at an incredible risk. However, there are some regions at risk more than others.
According to the study’s authors, those in the Los Angeles, Fresno, Orange, and Kern counties are most at risk within the state, as these areas are within a high fire risk area with various wells, as well as a large population of people.
California’s Thomas Fire
California has already had to deal with many disasters that stemmed from oil and gas wells. The state has even seen the Thomas fire burn through Santa Barbara and Ventura, which held more than 2,100 wells, in 2017.
However, experts have warned that wildfires in California will likely become more common, thanks to climate change. This could bring more fires to wells around the state — and harm local populations in the process.
An Increase in California Wildfires
Another study has recently found that wildfire burn areas located in California could see a 50% or more increase just by the midcentury.
This wouldn’t be too much of a surprise considering the strongest and largest wildfires seen in the state’s history have almost all happened since 2000.
Risks Are Increasing
This recent study also explained that hazards and risks will only increase, as well. Between 1984 and 2019, there was a five-fold increase in the amount of wells in wildfire burn areas.
Meanwhile, the population that lives within 3,200 feet of these oil and gas wells also increased, as it doubled in this same exact time.
California Faces a Dangerous Future
This study further revealed that even more wells will be at risk of wildfires by midcentury. As the years go on, more than 200,000 wells will be in wildfire risk zones by the late century.
As the majority of these oil and gas wells reside in California, Californians will face the burden of these potential catastrophes.
People Are in Harm’s Way
David J.X. González, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley and this study’s lead author, explained that people are in harm’s way — and this will unfortunately continue to be the case.
“Wildfires are increasingly burning in oil fields over the past four decades, and it’s a trend that’s very likely to continue throughout the rest of the century, including near some densely populated parts of California,” he said.
Other States at Risk
California isn’t alone in this problem. Though the Golden State does have a majority of gas and oil wells in the vicinity of potential wildfires, other western states are also putting their citizens at risk.
According to this study, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas also have many oil and gas wells in high-risk fire zones.
