US orders idle wells plugged in Gulf of Mexico (AFP)

Ships work near the site of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in August 2010. The United States on Wednesday ordered oil and gas firms to permanently plug nearly 3,500 unused wells and dismantle hundreds of idle platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, in a bid to shore up industry safety after the disastrous BP spill.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Chris Graythen)AFP - The United States on Wednesday ordered oil and gas firms to permanently plug nearly 3,500 unused wells and dismantle hundreds of idle platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, in a bid to shore up industry safety after the disastrous BP spill.