WASHINGTON – Arizona is among five states receiving funding from the Department of the Interior to address environmental and safety risks from abandoned oil and gas wells across the country.

“Toxic, abandoned oil and gas wells have plagued American communities for generations,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a written statement.

There is no known owner for orphaned oil and gas wells that could properly cap or close the well and restore the well site. The wells no longer produce oil and gas. When a well is orphaned, the responsibility for cleanup falls to the federal and state governments.

Haaland said that with funding from U.S. President Joe Biden's “Investing in America” ​​agenda, states and tribal nations would address this long-standing environmental injustice by investing in closing abandoned oil and gas wells.

“Millions of Americans live within a mile of an abandoned oil and gas well,” Haaland said.

The Department of the Interior has allocated more than $126 million in funding to Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, New York and Ohio to close abandoned oil and gas wells in their states.

Arizona will receive about $4.8 million. Ohio received over $57 million in funding, Alaska and New York received $25 million, and Indiana received over $14 million.

According to the Department of the Interior, state, federal and tribal governments are responsible for orphaned oil and gas wells because uncapped wells pose serious dangers to people, the environment, ecosystems and the climate. The wells endanger air and water by contaminating surface and groundwater and releasing toxic air pollutants and methane leaks.

Since August 2022, the department has awarded $565 million in initial grants to 25 states to help them inventory, cap and clean up abandoned oil and gas wells.

As of March, the Department of the Interior reported that Ohio, Alaska, New York, Indiana and Arizona had plugged more than 340 orphaned wells. They are also working to inventory orphaned wells and conduct outreach and well characterization.

Arizona established its oil and gas wellness program in 2022 after receiving an initial $25 million grant. The Department of the Interior reported that there are 245 orphaned oil and gas wells on state and private lands in Arizona.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality works with the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and private landowners to locate, inspect and plug orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the state.

According to ADEQ, many of Arizona's oil and gas wells were drilled in the early 20th century, before current legislation, so many may not have been properly shut down.

With initial funding from the Department of the Interior in 2022, ADEQ initiated a multi-year program to address the potential safety, health and environmental risks associated with abandoned oil and gas wells.

By April 2024, ADEQ reported the identification and verification of more than 80 oil and gas wells in the field, including confirmed orphaned wells, capped oil and gas wells, and converted water wells.

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