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The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has identified 4,605 orphaned wells in need of remediation at an estimated cost of $401.7 million. These numbers were documented in the state’s notice of intent to apply for a grant through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Louisiana joins 25 other states in making requests for the $4.7 billion that has been set aside to plug abandoned oil and gas wells.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden in November.
According to an Interior Department memo issued in early January, there are more than 130,000 abandoned or orphaned wells in the United States, or nearly double the amount the Interior documented across 30 states in 2019.
“These legacy pollution cleanup efforts will advance the department’s goals of environmental justice by helping historically marginalized communities address the devastating and long-lasting effects of legacy pollution,” the Interior Department memo read.
The 4,605 orphaned wells the state is seeking to remediate do not include about 23,000 wells with state approval to remain idle. Unlike many other states, nearly all of the orphaned wells in Louisiana are associated with known operators.
The Louisiana DNR collects about $4.5 million a year through its orphaned wells program, the Oilfield Site Restoration Program, and has spent about $64 million to plug wells since 1993. The Oilfield Site Restoration Program plugs about 160 orphaned wells each year, the state website showed.
