New Mexico state officials report they have plugged more than 200 inactive oil and natural gas wells, most in the southeast where the state shares part of the Permian Basin.
The State Land Office claims it also saved taxpayers $20 million in cleanup costs by having the oil and gas industry pick up the tab according to the Associated Press.
New Mexico was among several states last year that were awarded multimillion-dollar grants by the Bureau of Land Management to plug and reclaim orphaned wells and associated sites.
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