WVDEP’s Office of Oil and Gas discusses criteria for plugging wells

PLEASANT VALLEY, W.Va. (WBOY) — With the prevalence of wells created by West Virginia's oil and gas industry, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is gathering public input on what should be done about wells that pose a threat to the environment.

The WVDEP's Office of Oil and Gas hosted its second of three meetings on Wednesday night in Marion County to gather public input on the subject and determine what factors should be used to create a ranking system for which marginal conventional wells should be plugged.

The public, representatives and community leaders, well operators and anyone concerned about wells near sensitive areas like schools and hospitals, were invited to the meeting. The question raised is not about which wells to plug, but about which criteria should be included in a formula to prioritize which wells need to be plugged first.

"The criteria that are being considered are how much a well is leaking, to what extent, whether or not the well exists in a disadvantaged community and other intangible factors," WVDEP's Office of Oil and Gas Deputy Chief Jason Harmon said. "Are wells close to sources of public water? Or are they actively contaminating groundwater; potentially contaminating groundwater? It's a gradient of threats, immediate or potential."

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West Virginia's Office of Oil and Gas regulates drilling activity within the industry and has an extensive inventory of marginal conventional wells, which are idle or low-producing oil and gas wells that may pose environmental and safety risks . As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, states are provided with significant funding to plug and reclaim these wells.

"This is one of the largest efforts that we've ever had to dedicate funds to wells that are not orphaned. These are wells that are likely not economically viable but at the same time, you know, pose potential threats. So, the purpose is to provide funds to plug goes wells," Harmon added.

A grant from the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted by Congress in August 2022, funds the Methane Emissions Reduction Program of the US Department of Energy. WVDEP officials said that they currently have $38 million in grants to plug the wells.

The next public meeting on this topic will be held on Thursday, Nov. 14 in the conference room at North Bend State Park in Cairo from 6-8 p.m.