Ahead of the Beyond Alliance Superpollutant Action Summit at NYCW 2026, Rebellion is pleased to share the first in a short series of open letters on critical standards we believe deserve more attention as the orphan well plugging project type matures. Our philosophy dictates that first and foremost, we write about safety – an inherent risk to any oil and gas field work. 

While safety is the foundation beneath everything we do, orphaned well sites do not come with much information. When our field crews approach a well, equipment is degraded, pressures are unknown, volatile fluids are present, and no maintenance records are provided. Assuming these unknowns are predictable and proceeding with work under these conditions without first mitigating all potential risk puts field personnel and the surrounding landowners in danger. We do not accept a tradeoff of safety to simplify, cheapen, or expedite, and we do not believe the market should, either.  

On top of our shared stance lies the OSHA General Duty Clause, which requires operators to identify and mitigate all potential hazards. Our respective policies, founded in this overarching guide, keep people safe around known and unknown threats. 

As such, we continue to be committed to the following principles in our work with orphan wells: 

• Field personnel will never be asked to work around derated or unrated equipment holding a source of uncertain pressure without first securing the equipment/site. 

• Unknown conditions are treated as hazards, and we do not assume these conditions are safe until it has been proven so. 

• Safety determinations are made by qualified field safety experts with the proper training, certifications, and experience.  

• Our responsibility extends beyond our own crews to the surface owners whose land we have accessed. 

• Safety-driven decisions in the field will not compromise engineering standards or the integrity of our data and its analysis.  

Superpollutant abatement only works if the people doing the work come home safe, the communities surrounding the work benefit, and the environment is protected long-term. 

We look forward to the conversation ahead. 

Staci Taruscio, CEO Rebellion