Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of the first gas well safely plugged with funding from a $25 million federal grant to New York State through the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. New York State is working with landowners to plug aging and abandoned oil and natural gas wells to protect public safety, help reduce methane and other climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions, and protect ground and surface waters.
“Abandoned oil and gas wells across New York State have the potential to threaten our air, water, and land – potentially hazardous reminders of the damages wrought by fossil fuels on the environment, human health and property,” Governor Hochul said. “The historic investments being made by the Biden Administration are enabling our state to work with the Department of the Interior to bolster New York’s existing well plugging efforts that will locate and plug even more of these aged and abandoned wells for the benefit of our climate and the protection of our environment and communities.”
Department of the Interior Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Winnie Stachelberg said, “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is helping New York confront long-standing environmental injustices by plugging orphaned wells. The Bipartisan Infrastructure law’s $4.7 billion investment to plug orphaned wells is good for our climate, for the health of our communities, and for American workers.”
New York State has some of the most aggressive climate and clean-energy initiatives in the nation and is working closely with the Biden Administration as record levels of funding for climate action become available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)/Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and other funding. Plugging orphaned wells is a critical component of New York’s climate agenda and one of the numerous steps New York State is taking to reduce methane and other significant contributors to climate change.
Governor Hochul first announced the DOI’s $25 million award to New York State in 2022. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which administers the well-plugging program for the state, worked closely with New York State’s Office of General Services (OGS) to expedite contracts to meet the appropriate grant award timelines for well plugging primarily in western, central, and northern regions of New York State. These regions were drilled for oil and gas starting in the 19th century before New York State’s stringent regulatory programs existed and were often in remote locations.
The first completed orphaned well plugging project using the federal funding is located behind a shopping plaza on heavily traveled State Route 16 in the Erie County town of Holland. The well was initially drilled in the early 1960s and sat abandoned for decades, leaking methane. Plugging efforts were completed in September 2023. Additional orphaned well plugging projects are also now underway, or will begin soon, throughout Upstate New York, including in more than three dozen towns across nine counties. Work to plug the wells includes preparing project plans and securing access agreements with participating landowners, followed by field operations to plug wells and restore the affected surrounding land.
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “This milestone illustrates DEC’s progress in successfully plugging orphaned oil and gas wells with the historic funding provided through the BIL. Abandoned wells present a risk to surface and groundwater, and unplugged wells emit methane, a known contributor to climate change. I am thankful to the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of the Interior for recognizing the importance of this issue, and to the landowners throughout New York who are coming forward to reduce risks to our environment as we aim to meet our climate agenda targets.”
Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said, “Under Governor Hochul’s environmental stewardship of our state and with a substantial investment from the federal government and crucial support from affected property owners, New York is continuing its efforts to plug abandoned oil and gas wells and address the environmental damage they create and risks they pose. The OGS team is proud of our role in this cleanup effort and joins our partners at DEC in encouraging New Yorkers to report orphaned oil and gas wells on their land.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Communities in Western New York and across Upstate New York have been plagued by orphaned oil and gas wells for decades – creating hidden hazards that can seep pollution into our backyards, drinking water sources, and communities. Now, thanks to $25 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, that I led to passage, the first natural gas well has safely been plugged in Erie County. This milestone is the first step of many to finally confront these long-standing environmental hazards and plug hundreds of wells across Upstate NY, and I am proud to have delivered the critical federal funding to make this project possible and to help our municipalities clean up their communities from the remnants of the fossil fuel industry.”
The BIL bolsters New York State’s ongoing investments to help plug wells like these and reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2013, DEC has worked with property owners to plug more than 400 wells across the state. DEC’s work on abandoned wells in New York indicates that thousands of additional wells may continue emitting methane gas into the atmosphere and present risks to the environment.
Before orphaned wells can be plugged, they need to be located. DEC staff use historic oil and gas documents like academic and industry publications and old lease maps to track down many orphaned wells, but discussions with landowners and long-time residents across the state are also invaluable.
New York State invites and encourages landowners to participate in New York State’s well-plugging program. With $25 million in federal BIL funds secured to complete well-plugging projects, DEC is interested in reaching interested landowners to participate in this voluntary program conducted at no cost to the landowner.
Landowners who suspect an orphaned well may be located on their property should review the information on DEC’s website Finding and Identifying Oil and Gas Wells. Landowners will also find contact information for DEC’s regional offices to report the well for placement on DEC’s well plugging priority list.
New York State’s Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State’s nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York’s unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2021 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with nearly 400 registered and more than 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution and combat climate change.