PA DEP Spending WAY Too Much to Plug Abandoned/Orphaned Wells

Last Thursday (Sept. 12), the Pennsylvania State Senate Republican Policy Committee held a hearing in Pittsburgh to explore ways to simplify and make more effective PA's expanded abandoned and orphan conventional oil and gas well plugging programs. As a reminder, abandoned wells are those with no production for at least 12 months in a row. Orphaned wells were abandoned before 1985, and the owner is unknown, so the responsibility for plugging them rests with the state. The problem is that when the state runs the program and must conform to federal employment regulations (to use federal funds), the per-well cost to plug wells goes through the roof.

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