Idle oil well legislation authored by Assemblymember Hart clears legislature and awaits Governor’s signature to become law

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A bill requiring more aggressive targets for companies to plug idle wells across the state authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart has cleared the state's legislature and awaits the Governor's signature to become law.

The bill mandates percentage-based targets for companies to plug the more than 40,000 idle wells across the state and prioritizes idle wells within 3,200 feet of residential areas.

AB 1866 would also establish more stringent requirements for larger operators, mandating them to plug 15 percent of their idle wells within the first year and 20 percent annually by 2030.

Additionally, the bill increases the existing fees issued for wells idle for more than three years while carving out exemptions for operators who can demonstrate difficulty in locating or accessing wellbores.

According to Assemblymember Hart's Office, more than half of California's idle wells have not produced oil for decades and are at risk of becoming orphaned, leaving the responsibility to cover the cost of plugging them to California taxpayers.

To wit, the existing taxpayer liability of already orphaned wells exceeds $1 billion stated Assemblymember Hart's Office in a press release about the arrival of the bill on the Governor's desk.

"This legislation will protect the communities most affected by the harmful health impacts of neighborhood oil drilling, shield taxpayers from cleanup costs, and create thousands of jobs," stated Assemblymember Hart. "AB 1866 is necessary to solve the idle well crisis in California, and I look forward to earning the Governor’s signature."

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