Yesterday, the sun-baked high plains of Colorado welcomed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. At a media event, she touted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $4.7 billion meant to help states plug orphaned oil and gas wells. 

Colorado, the fifth-largest crude oil producer in the United States, has hundreds yet to plug.

“Millions of Americans, including many Coloradans, live within just 1 mile of an orphaned oil or gas well,” said Secretary Haaland in Adams County, at a defunct site in a flat field.

“These are environmental hazards that jeopardize public health and safety by contaminating groundwater, emitting methane – which adds to the climate crisis,” she said.

The potential government shutdown has thrown the immediate future of all federal spending into doubt. But the longer-term commitment from all parties seems strong. With ambitious goals to reduce pollution, Democrat-led Colorado relies on partnership with and revenue from the oil and gas industry to cap these wells. Yet there have been disagreements around the financial commitment of operators, reports The Colorado Sun. And there are competing visions of the state’s – much less the country’s – energy future. 

Still, one trade group leader says he supports plugging and reclaiming these sites based on a shared value. Safety, says Dan Haley, is a “nonpartisan” issue.

“We’re Coloradans at the end of the day,” Mr. Haley, the president and CEO of Colorado Oil & Gas Association, said on a call. “We value clean air; we value clean water.” 

Collaboration, after all, is a natural resource, too.