Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act
This bill, S. 818, introduces an Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act. It amended the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to create a new program within the Department of Energy dedicated to researching and demonstrating better ways to locate, plug, remediate, reclaim, and repurpose abandoned oil and gas wells. The program aims to improve data on where abandoned wells are located, advance technologies and methods to identify and assess wells (including methane emission impacts), and develop cost-effective, low-carbon plugging and remediation options. It also envisions repurposing some wells for uses such as geothermal energy or carbon capture/utilization and storage. The bill authorizes specific federal funding through FY2030 and requires coordination with universities, national laboratories, and private sector partners. In essence, the bill seeks to reduce environmental risks associated with abandoned wells—such as methane leaks and groundwater contamination—by funding R&D, improving identification and remediation technologies, and exploring repurposing opportunities, all under a government-supported, coordinated program.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of an Abandoned Wells Research, Development, and Demonstration Program within the Department of Energy, coordinated with federal and state agencies within 120 days of enactment.
- 2Definition of an "abandoned well" as a well originally drilled for oil and gas that is not in use, not plugged, and has no anticipated future use in oil and gas operations.
- 3Program activities to improve:
- 4- Identification and mapping of abandoned wells using remote sensing and related technologies (including LiDAR, optical gas imaging, magnetic surveys, and other relevant methods).
- 5- Understanding how factors like age, depth, geology, construction, casing material, and location affect methane emissions from wells.
- 6- The efficiency and cost-effectiveness of plugging, remediation, reclamation, and repurposing, including remote-well plugging challenges, use of low-carbon/cement or alternative materials, and potential repurposing (e.g., geothermal or carbon capture/storage).
- 7- Impacts of abandoned wells on groundwater quality and contamination.
- 8Required coordination with institutions of higher education, the National Laboratories, and the private sector.
- 9Authorization of appropriations for the program: $30 million (FY2026), escalating to $35 million (FY2030), with a steady increase across the five-year period.
- 10Clerical amendment to the IIJA table of contents to reflect the new program.