Did you know that New Mexico is the second largest oil producing state in the USA, behind Texas? Since oil was first discovered in the northwestern part of the state, near what is now known as the “Four Corners” area, this industry has played an important role in the economic development of region. However, like with many states, some of the legacy oil and gas wells have transitioned to orphan and abandoned status and are no longer commercially viable or they don’t have financially responsible parties to plug and remediate the impacted areas.

Similar to our home in Montana, many of these legacy oil and gas wells were drilled in the early 1920’s on or near Tribal lands, making them significantly important for more than just the obvious environmental quality benefits and nearly 100 years old.  This is why the Well Done Foundation is excited to begin working with amazing partners in New Mexico and will be announcing some really impactful projects that are in the queue for 2022.