At a White House press conference yesterday, infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu said the Biden administration would focus on plugging abandoned oil and gas wells across the country. But one issue is finding out just how many of these abandoned wells exist. Today on the news, a report on how many orphaned wells Utah might have. And, on opening day of the 2022 Utah Legislative session, leadership outlined key focus areas including education, water, and maintaining ‘the Utah way.’ Plus, our radio partners profile a company making energy-efficient building materials from timber felled during fire mitigation.

Show Notes:

Photo: Dots show orphaned oil & gas wells in Utah. The federal infrastructure bill will include billions for cleaning up wells like these across the country. Courtesy Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

Utah State Legislature

https://le.utah.gov

U.S. Department of the Interior 12/17/21: Implementation Guidance to States on Infrastructure Law Efforts to Address Legacy Pollution

https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-releases-implementation-guidance-states-infrastructure-law-efforts

KSUT: A Durango firm makes energy-efficient building materials from timber felled during fire mitigation

https://www.ksut.org/environment-climate/2022-01-07/a-durango-firm-makes-energy-efficient-building-materials-from-timber-felled-during-fire-mitigation