A private gas well located in the parking lot for the Park Loop trail in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve will be plugged during­ the week starting February 26, necessitating a closure of the area for approximately seven days. The company, Monument Oil and Gas, Inc., is funding the procedure and is working with park staff to ensure that all necessary safety and regulatory guidelines are followed. 

This project aligns with a nationwide effort to plug orphaned gas wells no longer in use. Unplugged wells can leak methane into the air, contributing to greenhouse effects, and leach toxins into groundwater.  

An orphaned gas well in the Gauley National Recreation Area is also scheduled to be plugged and reclaimed.  That project will happen later this spring/summer, funded from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides the largest investment in American history to clean Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mines and plug orphaned oil and gas wells. 

For updates and more information about the national park and preserve, visit nps.gov/neri or follow the park on social media. 

Original source can be found here