More than 17 million people in the United States live within a mile of an active oil or natural gas well, according to a new study.
The study is the first peer-reviewed, nationwide estimate of how many Americans live close to active wells and raises health concerns, as such proximity has been linked to heart, lung and brain problems, some cancers, and certain birth defects such as lower birth weights, pre-term births and heart defects.
“The closer you are to a well, the more likely you are to have health impacts, said Eliza Czolowski, lead author of the new study and an associate in the energy and environment program at PSE Health Energy, a nonprofit research institute in Oakland, California.
Using state-level information on oil and gas drilling and the US Census, Czolowski and colleagues had data for 30 states and estimated that 17.6 million Americans, or about 6 percent of the population of the contiguous 48 states, lives within a mile of an active oil or gas well.
Perhaps most concerning for public health, about 1.4 million children under the age of 5 live within a mile of active wells.
“This study hammers home why we need federal and state safeguards against oil and gas air pollution like methane,” said Bruce Baizel, energy program director at Earthworks, which was not involved in the study.
“Americans across the country are forced to live with oil and gas operations in their communities, literally right next door to their homes, their schools, their playgrounds,” he added.
In West Virginia, about half of the state’s roughly 1.8 million people live within a mile of an active well.
Oil and gas wells release pollutants — including particulate matter, benzene, nitrogen oxides, ozone, volatile organic carbons, carbon monoxide — to nearby air and water and have been linked to a host of health problems in people living nearby.
The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, compared states and found Texas, Ohio, California, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania all have more than 1 million of their residents living within a mile of wells.
West Virginia and Oklahoma had, by far, the highest percentages of their populations near wells.In West Virginia, about half of the state’s roughly 1.8 million people live within a mile of an active well. Oklahoma was second with about 47 percent. The next highest state was Ohio with 24 percent.
Texas had the highest number of people living within a mile of an active well at 4.5 million people.
There are no federal regulations for buffer distances between active wells and people’s homes, Czolowski said.
Many states have their own setback requirements, she said. A 2013 study found that among 31 states with current shale gas production, 20 required the wells be sited certain distances from nearby homes. The setbacks range from 100 feet to 1,000 feet.
Scientists have for the most part concluded that the closer people are to active wells, the more likely they are to experience health impacts, Czolowski said.
“There is definitely the chance for impacts living within a mile,” she said.
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $150,000 in one-time donations and to add 1,500 new monthly donors.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy