PLUGGING ABANDONED WELLSPlugging America's Forgotten Wells: Study Addresses Decades Long Problem
Since the drilling of the first oil well in 1859, millions more oil and gas wells have been drilled across the nation. Today, millions of wells – bout 3.4 million of them — sit idle, some for decades. One option for limiting the environmental and health impacts of orphaned wells is to plug them. But the question remains, with so many orphaned wells in the United States, what’s the best way to address this issue?
Since the drilling of the first oil well in 1859, millions more oil and gas wells have been drilled across the nation. While oil and gas discovery brought in a new era of American energy by enabling the U.S. to have a reliable and domestic source of fuel, standards and regulations for the drilling and plugging of these wells had not yet been developed. As a result, many oil and gas wells were deserted, leaving them “orphaned,” unclaimed, and unused after years of use.
Today, millions of wells sit idle, some for decades. According to the EPA, the current number of abandoned wells in the United States is about 3.4 million. A subset of these wells, without a responsible operator, are known as orphaned wells. Orphaned wells are often improperly shut down and can cause harm to the surrounding ecosystems and communities. For example, orphaned wells may emit methane or leak contaminants into groundwater, creating risks for both the environment and the public.
One option for limiting the environmental and health impacts of orphaned wells is to plug them. But the question remains, with so many orphaned wells in the United States, what’s the best way to address this issue?
An ongoing National Academies study aims to review the regulatory, technical, scientific, and economic considerations to improve the plugging and remediation of these wells and support better long-term outcomes for this decades long problem.
According to James Slutz, co-chair of the study committee and director of study operations for the National Petroleum Council, the study will evaluate current data and information on well plugging failures, challenges related to plugging wells, the state of well closure technology, and processes to monitor wells both plugged and unplugged.
“The committee will identify recommendations that can support well regulatory jurisdictions in ensuring that end-of-life wells are effectively abandoned and the environment and public safety are protected,” said Slutz.
Mary Feeley, co-chair of the study committee and former chief geoscientist at ExxonMobil, hopes the report will provide a forum for collaboration between state regulators, industry, and academia.
“Discussions exist between these groups but there appears to be limited opportunity to bring all constituents together,” said Feely. “Hopefully, the study will be an opportunity to explore possibilities to identify mechanisms that can continue to advance plugging materials and processes.”
Orphaned wells are currently ranked by environmental or safety threats, which can help remediators determine which wells are high risk for environmental contamination and prioritize plugging them. Properly plugging orphaned wells seals the oil and natural gas zones and ensures that those zones remain separate from fresh water and the atmosphere.
This study aims to outline ways to improve processes and technologies for plugging wells to ensure that orphan wells are plugged efficiently and effectively.
“Cost effective plugging will ensure more wells are plugged with the available funding,” Feeley said. “Advances in technology may both reduce costs and ensure that plugs remain effective for a longer period of time.”
What’s the Difference Between an Orphaned Well and an Abandoned Well?
Often, the terms “orphaned” and “abandoned” are used interchangeably when referencing unused wells. However, there is an important distinction between the two.
According to Slutz, orphaned wells are wells that have been deserted, have no identifiable owner, and have not gone through the proper plugging process. Abandoned wells, on the other hand, are wells that are no longer producing oil and gas and have been plugged properly by an operator.
“A well can become an orphan when the owner is no longer a viable owner and operator – for example a bankruptcy – or in the case of wells drilled prior to regulatory requirements such as wells drilled in the 1800s,” said Slutz.
The study, slated for release in 2026. Learn more about this study by visiting the project webpage.
Sydney O’Shaughnessy is Communications & Media Specialist, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The article was originally poste to the website of the National Academies.
