Kansas receives $25 million in federal funds to plug abandoned oil wells statewide
Kansas is set to receive $25 million over the next two years to plug orphaned oil and gas wells across the state.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday that Kansas would be among the 24 states receiving a total of $560 million in federal grant funds authorized by last year’s infrastructure package to plug abandoned oil and gas wells.
Kansas has more abandoned wells than any other state receiving the money.
The Kansas Corporation Commission will be responsible for using the funds to plug 2,352 wells according to data from the Department of the Interior.
Federal officials said the wells had been abandoned by oil and gas companies and property owners had long sought cleanup efforts.
“This grant will not only allow us to plug hazardous abandoned wells – it will also create jobs, protect extremely valuable fresh water resources, and ensure more sites are available for use by businesses and property owners,” Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement.
In a Thursday press release, the Kansas Corporation Commission said the grant would pay for eight projects, which together would plug the more than 2,300 wells across the state.
Four projects, the release said, would be in eastern Kansas, including a project that involves Johnson County. The other four are across central and western Kansas.
“These federal grants provide Kansas with a one-time opportunity to help address the issue of abandoned wells in Kansas while helping the economy by providing good paying jobs for several years,” Ryan A. Hoffman, KCC Conservation Division Director, said in a statement.
After the grant runs out, the release said, thousands of unplugged wells will remain and KCC plans to continue using “industry generated funds” to plug them through a program that has existed in Kansas since 1995.
In addition to the initial $25 million, the Kansas Corporation Commission could be eligible for another $33.6 million in future grant funding.
In an email, Kansas Corporation Commission Director Linda Berry said the agency was working to develop a request for proposal to award contracts for the work.
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 3:44 PM.
