Owners and operators of marginal conventional onshore oil and gas wells in Texas may be eligible for a portion of more than $100 million in grants to plug their wells and reduce harmful emissions.
The Texas Voluntary Marginal Conventional Well Plugging Program uses funding from the federal Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program, an effort involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
Eligible wells must be onshore in Texas and produce 15 or fewer barrels of oil equivalent per day or 90,000 cubic feet of gas per day over a calendar year. Wells also must be vertical, have a known owner or operator and not have been previously plugged. Applications are due by Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. Wells will be selected on a competitive basis.
Marginal conventional wells produce relatively small amounts of oil and gas but can be a significant source of methane and other air pollutants. Permanently plugging and abandoning the wells can reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. Plugging also can reduce the risk of oil, salt and toxic minerals leaking underground and migrating into aquifers, as well as reduce fire and explosion hazards from emissions of explosive gases.
Photo by Tom Fournier from Pexels
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