LAMB ANNOUNCES PA ELIGIBLE FOR $104 MILLION FROM BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW TO PLUG ABANDONED OIL AND GAS WELLS

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the U.S. Department of Interior announced that $1.15 billion in funding is available to states from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for oil and gas well cleanup.  Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) announced that Pennsylvania is eligible to receive up to $104 million in the first funding phase announced today.  Lamb supported this program’s inclusion in the infrastructure package, and joined a bipartisan letter in June 2020 highlighting the importance of addressing this issue. 

Abandoned oil and gas wells leak methane into the atmosphere, pose health and safety risks, and can pollute local groundwater.  Many experts estimate that there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, more abandoned or orphaned wells across the country.

“Plugging these wells will create jobs and protect the environment.  In a divided Washington, this issue has strong bipartisan support,” said Lamb.  “This federal investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a huge win for Pennsylvania.”

In Pennsylvania, more than five percent of the state’s human-caused methane emissions come from abandoned wells.  Lamb has been working in Washington on finding and fixing these wells to help curb emissions.  Lamb introduced the bipartisan Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act (H.R. 4270) to establish an abandoned wells research, development, and demonstration program at the Department of Energy.  This legislation would help develop cutting edge technologies and approaches to finding and capping these wells, building on the progress from much-needed funding from the infrastructure bill.  H.R. 4270 recently passed the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology, and Lamb is pushing for a vote by the full the House as quickly as possible.

Plugging orphaned wells will also help advance the goals of the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, as well as the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, which focuses on spurring economic revitalization in the hard-hit energy communities.  

Click here for more details on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will deliver for Pennsylvania, and visit Lamb’s website to learn more about the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act.

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