The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has been awarded a $25 million initial federal grant to help plug abandoned wells in the state.
The grant is part of the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help states remediate abandoned oil and gas wells. The KCC is eligible to receive another $33.6 million in future formula grant funding.
The KCC plans to use the initial $25 million grant to pay for eight projects involving the plugging of more than 2,300 abandoned wells over the next two to three years. Four projects are located in Eastern Kansas. The other four are located in Central and Western Kansas.
You can view a map showing the locations of the projects and number of wells here.
A well is considered “abandoned” when it has been permanently taken out of production, is not properly plugged to prevent possible air or groundwater pollution, and the rightful legal owner cannot be determined or located to take responsibility.
While the federal grants will help reduce the total number of abandoned wells in Kansas, they are insufficient to address the entire problem. The KCC will still rely on industry generated funds to plug the thousands of wells remaining after the federal program expires.
More than 11,000 abandoned wells have been plugged since the establishment of the state well plugging fund in 1995. Oil and gas drilling in Kansas began in the 1860’s. Record keeping by early operators was not as precise as it is today. It is not uncommon for older abandoned wells to be discovered by landowners who were unaware they existed.
