Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BICE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lucas for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4877, the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act. In Oklahoma, there are over half a million oil and gas wells, which allow our State to rank eight in oil and gas production in the country. While active wells support hundreds of thousands of jobs, legacy sites and abandoned wells can present environmental and economic problems.

Across the country, some abandoned or orphaned wells are slowly leaking harmful gases and chemicals into the ecosystem. This is partly due to some wells being left unaddressed after their use. However, most leaks are the result of plugging procedures or materials that have not withstood the test of time.

To remedy this issue, different States have implemented plugging and cleanup programs with varying levels of success. For example, the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board has invested $132 million to successfully clean up over 18,000 sites across our State.

Additionally, the Federal plugging and remediation program established last Congress provided $25 million in initial grants to Oklahoma. This was a great first step, but unless we want to continue to spend on temporary solutions, we must have innovation.

H.R. 4877 will address this innovation gap and potentially save billions of dollars in future efforts. Through the research, development, and demonstration activities authorized by this bill, the Department of Energy will improve the data on the location of abandoned wells, the process for plugging, reclaiming, and repurposing wells, and the ability to mitigate potential environmental impacts of leaking wells.

In the future, we won't need another $4 billion in Federal plugging programs. The innovation spurred by this bill could cut those costs in half and save billions in taxpayer funds.

H.R. 4877 directs the type of forward-looking research and development that will solve our legacy challenges, while allowing responsible environmental stewardship to continue into the next generation.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to lead this bill with my colleague from Pennsylvania (Ms. Lee). I thank her for working alongside me in a bipartisan fashion to get this bill to the floor, which is a great example of innovating to solve a real-world issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote from my colleagues.

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