One Man Stood Between National Parks and Oil Leaks — Then He Was Let Go
The phrase one man army is most suited for Forrest Smith, who single-handedly looked after abandoned oil and gas wells at national parks across the country. However, the National Park Service didn't renew his contract, raising concerns over the possibility of an environmental catastrophe. According to the New York Times, the estimated 93 abandoned wells are at high risk of spewing harmful gases. The emission of toxic and greenhouse gases can further accelerate global warming. The spillage can also lead to potential contamination of groundwater, increasing the threat to not just the environment but also people's health.
“There’s nobody left in the national parks who can confidently oversee this work with the expertise that I have,” Smith said. "I don’t think you could just pick somebody up and throw them in and expect them to do a really great job,” he added. But how did these oil wells get abandoned in the first place? The publication states that these wells were formed before the nearby national parks were built. In some cases, the owners of these wells left the sites after going bankrupt, leaving the wells orphaned. Scientists have found that these deserted sites with orphaned oil wells can release harmful gases like methane, a toxic greenhouse gas that widely contributes to global warming.
Benzene could also be among the released substances, which is a chemical that has close ties to life-threatening diseases like leukemia and other blood cancers. The underground seepage of oil and brine can pollute drinking water and cause illnesses. Now, with Smith no longer working as the National Park Service’s chief petroleum engineer, the situation may worsen. He had been doing the job since 2019, and the Trump administration's decision not to reappoint him left him surprised. “You’d think that in this administration, the petroleum engineer would be pretty protected,” he said.
It was especially shocking considering the government had always supported employees and programs focused on fossil fuels. Earlier, Smith was part of a four-person team that inspected the abandoned oil wells. The other three engineers have reportedly left the job to pursue other opportunities. As for Smith's role, no announcement for replacement has been made because President Donald Trump's administration has declared a hold on hiring federal employees, likely related to the ongoing government shutdown. The agency refused to comment on why Smith's contract wasn't renewed. Elizabeth Peace, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, asserted that the agency doesn't comment on personnel.
However, she reassured that the agency continues to identify and look after abandoned wells even without an expert like Smith in the field. The Park Service “has made strong progress in meeting the administration’s priorities to identify and plug orphaned wells on park lands,” she said. “Staffing levels naturally fluctuate as appointments conclude and new positions are filled," Peace added. In 2021, Congress approved $4.7 billion for states, tribes, and federal agencies to plug abandoned wells. But with the lack of employees overseeing the work, Environmental Defense Fund lawyer Adam Peltz fears for the worst. "Now that there’s no one to mind the shop, I’m concerned that either these projects will stop happening or there will be no one watching to ensure that our taxpayer dollars are being spent properly,” he said.
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