20220528-bc-leakywells

in this May 2022 file photo, idle oil wells found to have been leaking methane, marked with blue bins, can be seen from a housing development on Morningstar Avenue. Authorities said they did not know how much methane had been escaping from these wells, which are located as close as an eighth of a mile from the neighborhood.

 Eliza Green / The Californian

State regulators outlined a plan Tuesday to permanently seal 217 additional "orphan" oil and gas wells — more than 40% of them in Kern — as part of the second phase of a taxpayer-funded effort to protect residents and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The list of wells proposed to be plugged and abandoned has been published online but won't be finalized until the fourth quarter of this year, following a public comment period expected to begin soon.