Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Nicole C. Deziel

Second Advisor

Kyle Ferrar

Abstract

Orphaned oil and gas (O&G) wells can leak methane and other hazardous pollutants,contributing to air and water contamination that threatens public health while also imposing financial burdens on local governments and taxpayers for remediation. However, the environmental and public health impacts remain understudied, in part due to limited understanding of the number and location of orphaned O&G wells. In this thesis we aimed to (1) create a national orphaned wells dataset covering years through 2024, (2) estimate the count and distribution of orphaned wells in the United States through 2024, and (3) evaluate the association between community environmental justice (EJ) characteristics and the presence of orphaned wells. Using Python and ArcGIS, we integrated data from state orphaned well databases and the FracTracker National Oil and Gas Wells Database to create a geospatially-explicit national inventory of orphaned O&G wells and EJ indicators at the Census Block Group (CBG) level. Using R, we conducted logistic regression analyses to evaluate the associations between EJ indicators and count of orphaned O&G wells within CBGs containing at least one versus no orphaned wells. On a national scale, we found that the presence of orphaned wells is associated with children, mobile homes, incomplete plumbing facilities, unplugged wells, internet access, public assistance, poverty, rent burden, and ozone concentration. However, associations varied by state—for example, PM2.5 concentration and health insurance showed significant but inconsistent effects, resulting in null findings at the national level. These results highlight the importance of incorporating EJ considerations into orphaned well policies to protect the most impacted communities.

Comments

This thesis is restricted to Yale network users only. It will be made publicly available on 06/16/2026

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