Overview of the IIJA State Initial Grant
On October 1, 2022, New York State was awarded $25 million from the IIJA State Initial Grant to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells and well sites. As required by the grant, at least 90% of the funding was used to issue new contracts for plugging, remediation, and reclamation work within 90 days of receiving the funds. DEC issued one professional services contract and three region-based unit price contracts. The regions specified are Finger Lakes and Central New York, Southern Tier, and Western New York.
Well plugging operations commenced on August 2, 2023 and are ongoing. DEC and its contractors have plugged 33 high-priority orphaned wells to date. Prior to plugging, many of these wells were leaking gas, oil, or brine and were located near sensitive receptors such as residences or wetlands. Using IIJA State Initial Grant funding, DEC has mitigated the potential threats to the environment and public health and safety posed by these orphaned wells.
