Bill · S. 818· Senate(119-S-818)
Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act
- Introduced
- 3/3/2025
- Last activity
- 3/3/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Sponsored by
- Ben Luján
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act," seeks to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It requires the Secretary of Energy to create a research, development, and demonstration program focused on abandoned wells. An abandoned well is defined as one used for oil and gas operations that is not being used, has not been plugged, and has no anticipated use in operations. The program aims to improve data collection, plugging, remediation, and the mitigation of environmental impacts. It also focuses on understanding methane emissions and groundwater quality. The bill authorizes specific funding amounts for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Yes· 3 of 11
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+7
The program aims to mitigate environmental impacts and protect groundwater quality from abandoned well contamination.
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?+6
The bill specifically targets the reduction of methane emissions from abandoned wells and explores carbon capture technologies.
Does this put more money into scientific research?+6
The bill authorizes significant funding for research and development regarding abandoned well remediation and technology.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Environmental Safety: The program aims to improve strategies to mitigate potential environmental impacts of both documented and undocumented abandoned wells (Section 2(b)(3)).
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Better Resource Identification: The bill seeks to improve data collection on the location of abandoned wells using various technologies like remote sensors and LiDAR (Section 2(b)(1) and Section 2(c)(1)).
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Methane Emission Reduction: Research will be conducted to understand how certain parameters affect methane emission rates of the wells (Section 2(c)(2)).
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Protection of Water Supplies: The program includes activities to understand the impacts of abandoned wells on groundwater quality and contamination (Section 2(c)(4)).
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Advancement of New Energy Uses: The program looks into the repurposing of abandoned wells for alternative uses, such as geothermal power production or carbon capture, utilization, and storage (Section 2(c)(3)(C)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+7Reduces Carbon Emissions+6Increases Renewable Energy Investment+4Improves Rural Development+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Farmers+3Good For Low Income Households+2Good For Native Americans+2
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+6
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+1
- 3/3/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Kevin CramerRepublican · North Dakota