The U.S. Department of the Interior released guidelines this week for how states can access funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to clean up orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells.
There’s a total of $1.5 billion available to clean up these sites and each state is eligible for up to $40 million of that funding.
“Addressing orphaned wells cuts methane emissions, advances environmental justice for communities that have too long been left behind, and creates jobs. As we prepare to issue another round of grants to help states accomplish this vital work, we are eager to hear from diverse voices on this draft guidance,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a press release.
The funding can be used to plug and reclaim wells on both private and state lands. But that is not the only thing the funds might be used for. The federal money could help states prioritize which wells should be plugged first and to measure and track the pollution associated with these sites.
There are two types of Regulatory Improvement Grants included in the guidance released on Tuesday. The first is a plugging standards grant that is intended to incentivize states to implement measures that ensure wells are plugged in an effective manner. The second is known as a program improvement grant. This is to encourage states to improve programs designed to reduce the number of wells that become orphaned in the future.
States are eligible for up to $20 million from each grant, for a total of $40 million.
