Pete HahnloserThe Department of the Interior is awarding $76.4 million to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. This funding will allow the state to seal around 550 such wells over the next five years.
Millions of Americans live less than a mile from such wells, which contaminate back yards, recreational areas and farms, as well as public spaces from rural areas to cities.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) includes $4.7 billion for plugging orphaned wells, representing the most significant investment in addressing legacy pollution in American history, through initial grants, formula grants and performance grants.
Many of these wells present significant health and safety risks to air and water quality by contaminating surface and groundwater. They also emit hazardous air pollutants and leak methane, a “super pollutant” that is far more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Plugging orphaned wells contributes to the broader goals of the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan.
This new round of funding will allow Pennsylvania to focus on detecting and measuring methane emissions from orphaned wells, assessing effects on groundwater and surface water, and prioritizing the cleanup of wells in or near overburdened and disadvantaged communities.
Since the BIL was enacted, states have plugged some 8,200 orphaned wells, of which more than 200 are in Pennsylvania. Investments made through the department’s Orphaned Wells Program Office are estimated to have supported over 7,200 jobs nationwide and added more than $900 million to the economy over the past two fiscal years.
Alongside the $775 million from initial grants and $1.5 billion from performance grants, states can access $2 billion through formula grants. In August, the department announced the availability of $775 million in Phase 2 formula grants, with $114.6 million allocated to Pennsylvania. States have until Dec. 13 to apply for Phase 2 formula grants.
The BIL is also allocating $250 million for cleaning up well sites in national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges and other public lands, with nearly $150 million already distributed. Funding for states and federal land managers is in addition to the more than $52 million awarded to tribal communities.
Photo by Brad Weaver on Unsplash
