The Interior Department on Tuesday released guidance to states on how to apply for the first $775 million in initial grant funding available this year for plugging orphaned oil and gas wells under the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $4.7 billion for clean-up. This also comes after U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced $32.3 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells statewide.
The Interior Department says that millions of Americans across the country live within an mile of an orphaned oil and gas well, saying that they are polluting backyards, recreation areas, and public spaces across the country.
In February, Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan released statements welcoming the $32 million being made available for legacy well cleanup.
Sen. Murkowski:
“The failure to address legacy wells has long been an issue in too many communities, putting the health and safety of Alaskans at risk. Funding coming directly from the bipartisan infrastructure law will invest in the cleanup of these wells—sparking economic growth through job creation, strengthen the health of communities, and protect the environment which many communities rely on for subsistence use. I’ve prioritized investing in legacy well cleanup through my role as the former Chair and current Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. From shepherding the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 into law—which sent significant funding to abandoned wells, to continually pressing federal agencies to clean up these wells and providing the funds necessary to do so, plugging these wells has been a critical effort of mine over the years. Building on those efforts, I was one of the lead authors of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is helping provide solutions to these wells, and ensuring the needs of Alaskans are addressed. This new funding announcement, on top of the $250 million program for remediation of orphan wells on federal land, are just the start of exciting infrastructure opportunities to come for Alaskan projects.”
Sen. Sullivan:
“It is our duty as stewards of Alaska’s lands to conserve our environment, an ethic that has guided policy makers in our great state for decades. For too long, though, officials at the federal level have neglected their duty to clean up old, orphaned oil and gas wells in our state and across the country. Some of these polluted lands have even been conveyed to Alaska Natives over the years in furtherance of the historic Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. That is unacceptable. The bipartisan infrastructure bill we passed last year is making a difference, providing new funding to rectify this injustice and restore many of the lands we rely on to the pristine condition Alaskans expect.”
States also will be eligible for formula and performance grants under the Infrastructure Law. Guidance for those applications will be informed by comments received on the initial grants draft guidance and released at a later date.
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Image used courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management’s website.
