> How deep do you go, at some point they have to trust whoever they're contracting has done the job properly sealing the wells or verifying that the wells are s

> How deep do you go, at some point they have to trust whoever they're contracting has done the job properly sealing the wells or verifying that the wells are sealed. The school board isn't an oil company they don't have the expertise to evaluate everything independently. They can hire independent experts to assess whether the job has been done correctly, the same way one would get a second opinion on work that has been done that's outside one's field of expertise. There are plenty of engineering firms that will inspect bridges, oil wells, and other infrastructure. Alternatively, they could choose to not get in the oil business in the first place.