PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ADDRESSING ORPHAN WELLS WITH FUNDING FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) signed into law on November 15, 2021 provided historic funding for states to address orphan well issues. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) is authorized by PA Act 13 of 2012 AKA the Oil and Gas Act to plug orphan and abandoned wells. PADEP has leveraged the IIJA funding to expand its plugging operations in the near-term and is exploring additional methods to more efficiently address orphan well issues in the long-term. PADEP compares the well plugging program pre-IIJA, to these first years of IIJA funding, to future IIJA-funded plans. We also review well-plugging case studies that posed unique technical challenges.