I've been reading up about these deep sea oil wells and I didn't know that ...

[Kablooie]

after they drill out a well they often plug it up with cement and come back to it later to set up the full oil rig.

Which means there are many wells out there that are just sitting with cement plugs in them.

Are these plugs eternal? Is it inconceivable that any of them will ever crack or deteriorate?

And what about wells that are finished or wells they decide aren't worth using?

Are they also plugged up with these absolutely safe for eternity cement plugs?

---

Or might we, or our grandchildren, or our great grandchildren someday hear of mysterious holes opening up in the sea floor that spew out toxic fluids into our oceans?

[Journeyman]

1. All that's hidden away at the bottom of the sea in hopes that what we can't see won't bother us. . .

Concrete plugs in high pressure wells nestled silently next to all the toxic garbage that's been deep-sixed over the years.


If I should remark that in the Pacific depths
bubbles trickle ominously through concrete boxes,
what would you answer?

~Evan S. Connell, Points for a Compass Rose, 1973

[givemebackmycountry]

2. That's a great question...

Now, all we need is an answer.

[Electric Monk]

3. The plugs don't have to last forever, only until we empty that deposit.

So, don't worry about that part too much, it'll all be used up soon enough.

[Cleita]

4. Kill the wells! Kill them all!

We need an international oceanic oversight consortium of some sort to stop this abuse of Earth's last living and wild sanctuary.