Harnessing old oil and gas wells to produce geothermal energy?

Three men in work suits and hard hats by a drilling rig
Drilling rig operators plug an abandoned oil well near Shelby, Montana, on behalf of the Well Done Foundation. (Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

By Maria Gallucci, Canary Media, May 12, 2026

As states seek out much-needed supplies of clean, reliable energy, some are looking to an unconventional source: abandoned oil and gas wells harnessed for geothermal heat.

Millions of inactive wells are littered across the United States, the relics of earlier eras of fossil fuel production. A large number of the sites have no official owner, and many continue to pollute groundwater and leak heat-trapping methane. The country has barely scratched the surface in dealing with this problem.

Policymakers in both Republican- and Democratic-led states are exploring whether these sites could instead be converted into new geothermal energy wells. The holes are already drilled in the ground, after all. And regions with widespread oil and gas development have rich subsurface data that geothermal firms need in order to determine where and how to build their carbon-free systems.

The concept is relatively new and largely untested, though scientists and startups are working to change that. States are also laying the groundwork for action by lifting regulatory hurdles and launching in-depth studies.

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Native tribes block drilling projects in the Black Hills

By SARAH RAZA, Associated Press

A South Dakota mining company has canceled a drilling project in the Black Hills after opposition from Native American tribes and local groups.

In a letter provided Friday by Indigenous advocacy group NDN Collective, Rapid City-based Pete Lien & Sons told the United States Forest Service on Thursday that it is withdrawing its plan of operations for a graphite drilling project. It doesn’t intend to file another plan for this project, the letter said.

Groups opposed the project because of its proximity to a sacred site called Pe’Sla, a meadow in the Black Hills where Sioux tribes hold ceremonies and pray throughout the year. The land is also used for buffalo grazing.

The Forest Service and Pete Lien & Sons did not immediately return requests for comment Friday afternoon.

Nine tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska filed a lawsuit against the Forest Service over the project, alleging violations of the National Historical Preservation Act and National Environmental Protection Act for granting permits without an environmental review.

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PA Supreme Court Holds That Municipal Stormwater Charge Is a Tax

K & L GATES || LEGAL INSIGHT
PA Supreme Court Holds That Municipal Stormwater Charge Is a Tax, Not a Fee

US Policy and Regulatory Alert 7 May 2026

On 30 April 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Borough of West Chester v. Pa. State System of Higher Education & West Chester University. A majority of the Court held that the Borough of West Chester’s charge for stormwater management services constitutes a tax, not a fee, from which the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and West Chester University are immune.  

The decision has important implications that extend well beyond the parties to the dispute at issue, as many municipalities and municipal authorities across the Commonwealth have adopted stormwater charge programs that are relevantly similar. 

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Clean Harbors approved to acquire Terra Nova Solutions

This would be Clean Harbors’ second major acquisition this year. The company has sought to increase M&A spending this year to expand its environmental services footprint.

By Jacob Wallace, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive

Clean Harbors received approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on May 5 to acquire Terra Nova Solutions, an industrial waste and wastewater services company based in North Carolina. 

Terra Nova is a portfolio company of Crescentia Capital, a private equity firm that’s part of Maryland-based Calvert Street Investment Partners. Crescentia Capital has also invested in other C&D waste and industrial companies. 

Crescentia Capital and Clean Harbors both did not respond to requests for comment

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Maine’s community solar boom is going bust

Maine had more community solar capacity than any other state in 2025. But a new law enacted in the name of affordability has brought development to a standstill.

About a dozen rows of solar panels on a snowy lot near a road
A community solar farm in coastal Maine. A law passed a year ago is freezing out developers of such projects. (William Byers/U.S. Department of Energy)

By Sarah Shemkus, Canary Media

For years, community solar in Maine grew at a breakneck pace, elevating the state to the top of the list for most capacity per capita in the U.S. Now, however, development has slowed to a standstill, and the industry faces an uncertain future.

“What we saw was a very swift rise, and it has now come to an end,” said Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association. ​“Right now, there is no opportunity for growth.”

Community solar — larger arrays that sell power to multiple users — took off in Maine after the state expanded the program supporting it in 2019. By the end of 2025, Maine had 694 watts of community solar capacity per person, far and away the most of any state in the country (second-place Minnesota had 164 watts per capita), according to a recently released report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Then, last year, lawmakers passed, and the governor signed, a law that brought that momentum to a screeching halt. The legislation includes two major stumbling blocks for the future success of community solar in the state, whose legislature and governor’s office are controlled by Democrats

First, it prohibits any larger new projects — residential solar is still OK — from enrolling in net energy billing, the system that allows solar producers to get paid for the energy they send to the grid. It is the backbone of community solar’s financial model.

Second, the law imposes hefty new fees on community solar installations that are already up and running. It’s a move that creates financial hardship for existing projects and makes developers exceedingly wary about doing business in Maine, said Jessica Robertson, director of policy and business development for New England at renewable energy company New Leaf Energy.

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