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Meet the retired oil exec plugging forgotten wells to reduce emissions

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Earth School

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Nine million Americans live near an orphan oil and gas well. These wells have no owner and were never sealed, so they're leaking out tons of methane and deadly gases unchecked. Tracking them down and sealing them with cement can be so costly that most states don't do it. But with new funding comes new hope. Follow one ex-oil executive and his team as he hunts down and plugs forgotten oil wells.

To be considered a super-emitter, an orphan well needs to emit more than ___ pounds of methane per hour.

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