As residents of Butler County, we all appreciate the beautiful countryside around us. We enjoy its fresh air, clean water and all the wildlife in our woods and waterways. We also don’t mind getting our hands dirty and working hard for our money.

Although we often hear that “government is the problem,” an article in the Butler Eagle (“Officials working to ID abandoned wells to plug” 2/9/22) shows our government can provide solutions to real problems. The article explains that Butler County has 592 abandoned oil and gas wells scattered across private and commercial properties. Without a responsible owner left to foot the bill of plugging them, these orphan wells contaminate vital public and private water sources and pose an ongoing threat to public health.

Thanks to the passage of President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the leadership of the Democratic Party, Pennsylvania is poised to get $104 million in federal money to plug its abandoned wells. Individual homeowners and private businesses will be protected, and hundreds of local jobs will be created locally, most in small companies hired to clean up the wells.

Please remember this example of how Democrats made government work to solve a real problem affecting our region, and did it by respecting our values — hard work, jobs, and the natural beauty of Western Pennsylvania. And please, if Rep. Mike Kelly and Sen. Pat Toomey claim credit for the benefits of this Democratic program, remember that both of these Republicans voted against it.

Patrick Reitz, Sarver