BLM invests in restoring abandoned wells in Wyoming

WORLAND, Wyo. – Bureau of Land Management Wyoming is putting a $1.1 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to work, cleaning up 12 orphaned well sites. The restoration funds will go to work on wells in Hot Springs, Park and Washakie counties.

The contract to plug these orphaned wells was awarded on July 11, 2024, and work is expected to begin this summer. The project will also restore the disturbed surface and remove debris, surface equipment and any contaminants left by the previous operators of these abandoned wells. An additional opportunity to reclaim the sites following completion of the plugging will be announced in the future.

Prior to plugging, the methane emissions from the wells will be measured to determine the final impact of the project as it reduces methane released into the atmosphere. 

This year’s restoration funds are part of a multi-year, $4.7 billion investment by the Department of the Interior to plug and reclaim hundreds of orphaned wells and restore public lands, national parks, national forests and national wildlife refuges throughout the country.  

These investments tackle the long-standing problem of orphaned wells on our public lands by supplementing the BLM's annual appropriated funding to address this problem across the nation, eliminating dangerous conditions and pollution caused by past extraction activities. 

Please visit doi.gov/orphanedwells for more information about the Federal Orphaned Well Program.