North Dakota’s Mineral Resources Director says the state is continuing its efforts to plug and reclaim abandoned oil wells.
Lynn Helms said the state has received $25 million from the Investment Infrastructure and Jobs Act for that work.
"That $25 million is intended to plug 88 orphan wells, and reclaim all 88 of those sites, as well as another 51 sites," Helms said. "A total of 139 reclamations."
Helms said to date, the state has spent $2.2 million of the $25 million thus far. And he said even after the $25 million is spent, there’s more work to do.
"That's going to leave us with about 15 wells, that are on federal land," Helms said. "We're still figuring out a way to get an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest service on plugging those wells."
Helms said those will be covered in the “formula grant” phase for oil well reclamation in the IIJA. He said that will mean $11 million a year over five years.
"That's going to allow us to bring all the orphan well work to a close over the next 5 to 10 years," Helms said.
