State Oil and Gas Board extends federal grant work to plug orphan wells; 38 additional sites identified

The State Oil and Gas Board told the Joint Interim Committees Thursday that federal grant funds will continue to support plugging orphan and abandoned wells across Alabama.

Bennett Bearden, deputy attorney general representing the board, said the federal government provided $3,100,000 for well‑plugging work and that the item before the committee was a no‑cost time extension. "This is a no cost extension amendment to continue plugging orphan and abandoned wells in the State of Alabama to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizenry," Bearden said.

Staff reported the program has plugged four wells so far and has identified an additional 38 wells to prioritize, mostly in North Alabama. "To date, we've plugged four wells... originally we'd identified 28 wells as part of the original grant proposal, with the potential for identifying additional wells as field work proceeded... and then through this process, we've identified 38 more wells," a board staffer said.

Committee members asked whether the $3.1 million would be enough to cover the remaining plugs; staff said that is the assumption built into the extension. Members praised the board's efforts to address historical wells that lack bonding and whose operators are defunct.

Next steps

The committee accepted the presentation and recorded no immediate votes in the transcript; the time extension will allow field work to continue under the federal grant, with staff continuing site preparation and plugging work.