Pa. secures federal funding to plug abandoned oil and gas wells

Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania has acquired $76,406,474 in federal funding for ongoing efforts to plug orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells throughout the Commonwealth. The funding was announced by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

There are 27,000 identified orphaned and abandoned wells across Pennsylvania, and there is a suspected total of around 350,000 total abandoned wells. These wells are estimated to contribute eight percent of all of Pennsylvania's methane emissions.

The Department of Environmental Protection expects to plug hundreds, if not thousands of wells over the next five years with the new funding.

Over the last year, at least 250 wells have been plugged.

“Orphan and abandoned wells are a serious risk to the environment and public health in Pennsylvania,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “It’s not a question of if an abandoned well will pose a threat to the environment; it’s a question of when. This new funding will dramatically expand Pennsylvania’s ability to plug the wells that pose the greatest risks as well as others before they become a hazard.”

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The $76 million is the first round of formula grant funding under the IIJA, which could provide up to $300 million over the next three to five years for well plugging. This follows a $25 million grant awarded in 2022, which has been used to either plug or contract to plug 224 wells.