March 12, 2024 - West Sunbury, PA
Governor Josh Shapiro, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley, and local legislative and environmental leaders joined the Penn Mechanical Group crew in Butler County to plug the 200th orphaned or abandoned well under the Shapiro Administration. This is the latest milestone under Governor Shapiro's leadership to protect public health and create thousands of good-paying jobs by plugging orphaned and abandoned wells across the Commonwealth. The 200th well plugged today by the Shapiro Administration surpasses the total of the last 9 years combined after just 14 months in office - and represents a continued increase in the pace of well plugging efforts. The Shapiro Administration celebrated the 100th well plugging nine months after taking office - and the Administration has plugged an additional 100 wells in less than five months since then. "When I took office, I directed the Department of Environmental Protection to move aggressively to draw down as much federal funding as possible to make a meaningful impact plugging orphaned and abandoned wells.And so today - thanks to federal investments and the good work of the folks at DEP and contractors like Penn Mechanical -I'm proud to announce that this well will be the 200th well plugged during my time as Governor," said Governor Josh Shapiro. "By plugging orphaned and abandoned wells, we're tackling a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and creating thousands of good-paying jobs in the process.This is a smart, commonsense way to combat climate change, promote public health, and create jobs. In the coming days, I'll be announcing a commonsense energy policy that further protects the public, creates energy jobs, and grows our energy economy so that we can lower costs for consumers and build on our Commonwealth's legacy of energy leadership." List of Speakers:Acting Secretary Jessica ShirleyRep. Tim BonnerTom GilbertTyler ShankGovernor Shapiro
An Official Pennsylvania Government Website