Observers of the nation’s thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells say what the Biden administration is putting into a cleanup program is only a dent in the effort.
Oklahoma is among 24 states that received some of the billions of dollars. A total of $4.7 billion was set aside to plug the orphanied oil and gas wells that were abandoned.
Oklahoma received $25 million in the first round of payouts from the federal government. The Corporation Commission awarded contracts to target 523 wells. A second round of federal grant funding will allow the Commission to develop a methane monitoring program as part of the well-plugging project.
The Commission announced this week it wants input from the industry. It stated it is seeking input on developing a protocol to follow for required methane testing of wells to be plugged using funding provided by the Infrastructure and Jobs Act.
Those interested in offering comment are asked to contact Brad Ice at brad.ice@occ.ok.gov.
A virtual meeting with all interested parties will be held on the matter later this month. Once a date is set, notice will be given via GovDelivery.
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