The Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act would amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to require the Secretary of Energy to establish a research, development, and demonstration program focused on abandoned wells. The program aims to improve data on where abandoned wells are located, advance plugging, remediation, and reclamation, and develop strategies to reduce environmental risks associated with these wells.
The bill creates concrete objectives and funding, coordinating with federal and state agencies, institutions of higher education, and the private sector. It also authorizes specific annual appropriations through 2030 to support research, technology development, and demonstration projects.
This is a mechanistic policy instrument aimed at closing knowledge gaps and accelerating practical solutions for well remediation and repurposing.
At a Glance
What It Does
Adds Sec. 40602 to Title VI of the IIJA, establishing a DOE-led program to locate, plug, remediate, reclaim, or repurpose abandoned wells and to mitigate environmental impacts.
Who It Affects
Federal and state agencies, universities, National Laboratories, oil-and-gas operators, geothermal developers, and remediation firms engaged in well plugging and repurposing.
Why It Matters
Addresses methane emissions and groundwater protection, and opens pathways to repurpose wells for geothermal energy or carbon capture and storage, using advanced detection and remediation technologies.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill creates a new program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to tackle abandoned wells across the United States. It defines what counts as an abandoned well and orders the Secretary of Energy to stand up a research, development, and demonstration program within 120 days of enactment.
The goal is to improve data about abandoned wells, develop better plugging and remediation techniques, and explore repurposing opportunities that could support geothermal energy or carbon capture and storage, while studying groundwater impacts.
To accomplish this, the program will fund activities that advance detection technologies like LiDAR and remote sensing, analyze how well characteristics affect methane emissions, and seek cost-effective solutions for plugging and remediation. It also emphasizes coordinating with universities, National Laboratories, and the private sector to ensure broad expertise and implementation pathways.
The bill specifies funding levels that rise each year through 2030, signaling a multi-year federal commitment to building a knowledge base and pilot projects in this area.In addition, the bill makes a clerical amendment to IIJA's table of contents to reflect the new program, ensuring congressional records and agency workflows recognize the Sec. 40602 designation and its responsibilities.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill defines an abandoned well as one originally drilled for oil and gas that is not used, not plugged, and has no anticipated use.
The Secretary of Energy must establish the program within 120 days of enactment to improve data collection, plugging/remediation, and mitigation strategies.
Program activities include LiDAR, remote sensing, optical gas imaging, and other technologies to identify abandoned wells and assess emissions.
Funding is authorized from FY2026 through FY2030, starting at $30,000,000 in FY2026 and rising to $35,000,000 in FY2030.
A clerical amendment to the IIJA table of contents inserts Sec. 40602 to formalize the new program’s place in the law.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Definition of Abandoned Well
Defines an abandoned well as a well originally drilled for oil and gas that is not used, has not been plugged, and has no anticipated future use in oil and gas operations. This definitional anchor sets the scope for the program and ensures that related data collection, remediation, and repurposing activities focus on wells that are no longer present in active production.
Establishment of Program
Not later than 120 days after enactment, the Secretary of Energy must establish a research, development, and demonstration program to improve data on the location of abandoned wells, and to advance plugging, remediation, reclamation, and repurposing efforts, as well as strategies to mitigate environmental impacts.
Activities
The program shall support activities to enhance detection and identification of abandoned wells using LiDAR, remote sensing, optical gas imaging, and related technologies; study how well parameters affect methane emission rates; improve plugging and remediation methods (including remote wells and new cement/additive approaches); and evaluate repurposing options such as geothermal energy or carbon capture and storage. It also covers assessing groundwater quality impacts.
Coordination
The Secretary must coordinate with institutions of higher education, National Laboratories, and the private sector to carry out the program. This coordination ensures access to academic research, federal lab capabilities, and private-sector innovation to scale demonstrations and accelerate deployment.
Authorization of Appropriations
The bill authorizes annual appropriations for the program: $30,000,000 in FY2026, rising to $31,250,000 in FY2027, $32,500,000 in FY2028, $33,750,000 in FY2029, and $35,000,000 in FY2030. These funds cover research, technology development, demonstration projects, and interagency coordination.
Table of Contents Amendment
Adds to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act table of contents by inserting Sec. 40602, Abandoned Wells Research, Development, and Demonstration Program, ensuring the amendment is reflected in the statutory structure.
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Explore Energy in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Federal and state environmental and energy agencies gain clearer data, standards, and governance over abandoned wells and remediation pathways.
- Institutions of higher education and National Laboratories gain funding and structured opportunities to advance research, pilot technologies, and develop expertise in well remediation and repurposing.
- Oil and gas operators, remediation service providers, geothermal developers, and CCS technology providers receive a clearer framework and potential demand signals for technology deployment and project pilots.
- Communities near abandoned wells benefit from data-driven remediation and protection of groundwater, along with potential local energy opportunities via repurposing.
Who Bears the Cost
- DOE and related federal agencies incur administration and programmatic costs to stand up and operate the new program.
- State and local agencies may incur coordination and compliance costs as they engage with program activities and data sharing.
- Private sector entities (operators, service firms, technology vendors) bear costs to implement recommended remediation technologies, participate in demonstrations, and share data.
- Academic and research institutions may absorb costs for conducting field research, demonstrations, and data analysis as part of funded projects.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing aggressive, technology-driven remediation and repurposing of abandoned wells against the practical realities of multi-jurisdictional coordination, capital costs, and the risk of uneven adoption across states and industry.
The bill creates a targeted, federally funded program with multi-year funding to address a known environmental risk: abandoned wells. While the technology and data objectives are compelling, the implementation will hinge on coordination across federal and state governments, with academia and the private sector playing pivotal roles.
Managing the scope, avoiding duplication with existing programs (if any), and ensuring timely deployment of plug-and-remediate solutions will be essential. Data sharing, standardization, and the practical feasibility of rapid plugging, particularly for remote wells, are potential challenges that could affect outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
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