$76,406,474

PROGRAM: THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) SEC. 40601 ORPHANED WELL STATE FORMULA GRANT PROGRAM AWARD PURPOSE: FUNDING THROUGH THE PROGRAM MAY BE UTILIZED TO PLUG, REMEDIATE OR RECLAIM ORPHANED WELLS ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS LOCATED WITHIN THE STATE S BOUNDARIES, RESTORE SOIL AND HABITAT IN THE DEGRADED AREA, DECOMMISSION OR REMOVE ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE, IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE ADDITIONAL UNDOCUMENTED WELLS ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS AND SET UP WELL-PLUGGING CAPACITY WHERE NOT ALREADY ESTABLISHED. SECTION 40601(C)(4) OF THE BIL CREATES AN ORPHANED WELL SITE PLUGGING, REMEDIATION, AND RECLAMATION FORMULA GRANT PROGRAM WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR TO ADDRESS ORPHANED WELLS AND WELL SITES ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS WITHIN THE STATE S BOUNDARIES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THIS GRANT FUNDS THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIORNMENTAL PROTECTION TO PERFORM THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: PLUG, REMEDIATE, OR RECLAIM ORPHANED WELLS ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS REMEDIATE SOIL AND RESTORE HABITAT THAT HAS BEEN DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF ORPHANED WELLS OR ASSOCIATED PIPELINES, FACILITIES, OR INFRASTRUCTURE ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS REMEDIATE STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS ADJACENT TO ORPHANED WELLS AND DECOMMISSION OR REMOVE ASSOCIATED PIPELINES, FACILITIES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDE AN ACCOUNTING OF THE COST OF PLUGGING, REMEDIATION, AND RECLAMATION FOR EACH ORPHANED WELL SITE ON STATE AND OR PRIVATE LANDS WITHIN THE STATE IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE UNDOCUMENTED ORPHANED WELLS ON STATE AND PRIVATE LAND RANK ORPHANED WELLS BASED ON FACTORS INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL HARM, AND OTHER LAND USE PRIORITIES IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF ADVERSE HUMAN HEALTH OR ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES, AND TRIBAL AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES MEASURE AND TRACK METHANE EMISSIONS AND OTHER GASES AS WELL AS CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER AND DEVELOP OR ADMINISTER A PROGRAM TO CARRY OUT ANY ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION. ACTIVITIES FUNDED BY THIS GRANT MUST COMPLY WITH THE UNIFORM GUIDANCE FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS (2 CFR 200), BUILD AMERICA BUY AMERICA, DAVIS-BACON ACT, AND BIL, AND INCLUDE ALL COSTS NECESSARY TO CONDUCT AND MANAGE THE APPROVED PROJECT, SUCH AS EQUIPMENT AND CONTRACTED SERVICES. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES OR OUTCOMES: 1. DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM ORPHANED WELLS. 2. ENHANCE THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, AND PROPERTY FROM ADVERSE EFFECTS OF OIL DRILLING PRACTICES FROM ORPHANED WELLS.3. PLUG, REMEDIATE, OR RECLAIM UP TO 503 ORPHANED WELLS ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS. 4. RESTORE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND PROPERTY FROM OIL DRILLING ACTIVITIES, FACILITIES, AND ASSOCIATED PIPELINES FROM ORPHANED WELLS ON STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS. 5. REMEDIATE AND RESTORE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT PREVIOUSLY DEGRADED BY THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION AND DRILLING, INCLUDING MEASURES FOR THE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOIL, WATER, WOODLAND, FISH AND WILDLIFE, RECREATION RESOURCES, AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE GENERAL PUBLIC BENEFITS DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY FROM THE PROPOSED PROJECT THAT ADDRESSES LONG OVERDUE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS TO STRENGTHEN OUR RESILIENCE TO THE CHANGING CLIMATE AND MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF LEGACY POLLUTION. THIS INVESTMENT IN STATE PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WILL GROW THE ECONOMY SUSTAINABLY AND EQUITABLY FOR DECADES TO COME. INFORMATION AND DATA COLLECTED BY THIS PROJECT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AS APPLICABLE. THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL BENEFIT BY REMOVING HAZARDOUS LEGACY FACILITIES, INCLUDING IN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES WHERE WORK WILL BE PRIORITIZED. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES (IF KNOWN OR SPECIFIED AT TIME OF AWARD): COMMONWEALTH INTENDS TO ISSUE SUBAWARDS TO QUALIFIED ENTITIES THROUGH ITS ADMINISTERED WELL-PLUGGING GRANT PROGRAM TO PLUG WELLS.

Verbatim from USAspending.gov. Capitalization, abbreviations, and codes are unchanged.

Generated by award_classification v2.0.0 via claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 on 2026-05-15. Cost: $0.002617.

• 2026-04-02GENERALLY, THE WELL PLUGGING CONTRACTS DEVELOPED BY PADEP ARE ALL-INCLUSIVE, IN SUCH THAT DURING WELL PLUGGING AND FINAL ABATEMENT, CONTRACTORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCESS EGRESS, SITE PREPARATION, EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION CONTROLS ON-SITE, WELL PLUGGING PER COMMONWEALTH REGULATIONS, PRODUCED WASTE DISPOSAL, AND SITE RESTORATION AROUND THE WELL. BY PLUGGING THESE ABANDONED AND ORPHANED OIL AND GAS WELLS IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMMONWEALTH REGULATIONS, THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPACT OF THESE WELLS IS GREATLY LESSENED OR REMOVED. THE PADEP WILL USE THE GRANT MONIES TO PLUG ORPHAN AND ABANDONED WELLS THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH. THE FUNDING WILL ALSO BE USED TO ADDRESS OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES SUCH AS IDENTIFYING AND CHARACTERIZING UNDOCUMENTED WELLS, MEASURING AND TRACKING EMISSIONS OF METHANE AND GASES ASSOCIATED WITH ORPHAN WELLS, MEASURING AND TRACKING CONTAMINATION OF SURFACE WATERS AND GROUNDWATER AFFECTED BY ORPHAN WELLS, IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING IMPACTS OF ORPHAN WELLS ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES, REMEDIATING SOILS AND RESTORING NATIVE SPECIES IMPACTED BY ORPHAN WELLS AND DEVELOPING IT TOOLS TO TRACK THE DATA THAT IS COLLECTED AND MILESTONES THAT ARE ACCOMPLISHED. THE PADEP WILL UTILIZE ITS ESTABLISHED PROCUREMENT PROCESSES BY PUBLISHING INVITATIONS TO BID IN THE COMMONWEALTHS ELECTRONIC BID SOLICITATION TOOL CALLED BID EXPRESS (WWW.BIDEXPRESS.COM) AND EMARKETPLACE (WWW.EMARKTPLACE.STATE.PA.US). CONTRACTS WILL BE AWARDED TO QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS TO PLUG ORPHAN AND ABANDONED WELLS AND OTHER FIRMS TO PROVIDE ASSOCIATED SERVICES SUCH AS METHANE MONITORING, SITE AND GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION AND ENGINEERING SERVICES. PADEP STAFF WILL CONDUCT SCREENING LEVEL ASSESSMENTS OF ORPHAN AND ABANDONED WELL SITES TO DETERMINE PRESENCE ABSENCE OF METHANE, INDICATIONS OF IMPACTS TO SOIL, GROUNDWATER, SURFACE WATER AND ASSOCIATED IMPACTS TO HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RECEPTORS IN ORDER TO PRIORITIZE SITES FOR ADDITIONAL CORRECTIVE ACTIONS AND CONTRACT DEVELOPMENT. ADDITIONALLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACT 96 OF 2022 AND ACT 136 OF 2022, DEP HAS DEVELOPED AN ORPHAN WELL PLUGGING GRANT PROGRAM THAT IS FUNDED BY AT LEAST 20 PERCENT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT FORMULA GRANT. THE ORPHAN WELL PLUGGING GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDES GRANTS OF UP TO $40,000 TO A QUALIFIED WELL PLUGGER FOR EACH WELL PLUGGED THAT IS UP TO 3,000 FEET IN LENGTH AND $70,000 FOR EACH WELL THAT IS GREATER THAN 3,000 FEET IN LENGTH. AS PART OF THE WELL PLUGGING ACTIVITIES, THE CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO NOTIFY THE PADEP INSPECTOR AND FURNISH THE PADEP A COMPLETED NOTICE OF INTENTION (NOI) TO PLUG WELLS PRIOR TO BEGINNING EACH WELL PLUGGING OPERATION. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTRACTOR IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN A DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT WITH A RECORD OF THE TIME SPENT AT EACH ACTIVITY. THE CONTRACTORS DAILY REPORT SHOULD ALSO CONTAIN A SHORTNARRATIVE OUTLINING THE DAYS EVENTS AND PROGRESS. A COPY OF THIS REPORT IS ALWAYS TO BE KEPT ON SITE AND BE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION DURING THE PROJECT. AT THE END OF EACH WEEK, A COPY OF THE WEEKS DAILY LOG WILL BEEMAILED TO THE PLUGGING INSPECTOR AND OR THE PROJECT MANAGER. UPON COMPLETION OF THE WELL PLUGGING, A CERTIFICATE OF WELL PLUGGING (COW) WILL BE FURNISHED TO PADEP BY THE CONTRACTOR. PADEP STAFF WILL CONDUCT INSPECTIONS OF RESTORED AND RECLAIMED AREAS AND NOTIFY THE CONTRACTOR OF CORRECTIVE ACTION IS NEEDED.$114.6M