The Interior Department is poised to release $775 million to states to pay for plugging orphan wells, continuing a nationwide effort funded by Congress to clean up abandoned oil and gas infrastructure.
The department said Wednesday that 21 states are eligible for the funds, from Alabama to Wyoming.
This is the third tranche of money made available by Interior as part of a $4.7 billion program in the bipartisan infrastructure law — which President Joe Biden signed in 2021 — to plug thousands of abandoned wells across the country. Some states have struggled to capture and use the funds in recent years.
“These investments are good for our climate, for the health of our communities, and for American workers,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. ”With this third round of additional funding, states will put more people to work to clean up these toxic sites, reduce methane emissions and safeguard our environment.”
