119th Congress Environmental Protection
H.R. 1217: Orphan Well Grant Flexibility Act of 2025
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed House (not reached)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill removes certain requirements, including measuring methane emissions, for grants to states under the State Orphaned Wells Program.
Under the program, the Department of the Interior provides grants to states for the following purposes: (1) plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned wells located on federal land; (2) identifying and characterizing undocumented orphaned wells; (3) measuring and tracking emissions of gases (e.g., methane) or contamination of water associated with orphaned wells; or (4) conducting certain other related activities. Generally, orphaned wells are oil and gas wells without solvent owners or operators responsible for cleaning up leaks from the wells.
In 2024, Interior issued guidance for the grant program that requires states to conduct certain measuring and tracking activities related to the orphaned wells before and after receiving grants. However, the bill specifies that states are not required to provide such information in order to receive a grant. Instead, the bill makes measuring and tracking optional.
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The bill also directs Interior to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study the effect of the plugging and remediation activity on economic development, housing trends, and other potential benefits in areas where the plugging and remediation activity reclaimed a high number of well sites.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Chris Deluzio D-PAOriginal
- Ron Estes R-KS
- Nicholas Langworthy R-NY
- Michael Lawler R-NY
Who scored on this bill
- 1Glenn Thompson SponsorDrew cross-party cosponsors, introduced2 events+6
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Other bills by Glenn Thompson
- H.R. 7891: Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026
- H.R. 7567: Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026
- H.R. 4550: United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2025
- H.R. 649: Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025
- H.R. 4763: Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act
- H.R. 8467: Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024
History
- Introduced in the House by Glenn Thompson.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in House
- Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.